Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference?

Hardneck vs Softneck Garlic - What's the Difference?

Softneck Garlic
The vast majority of shop-bought garlic is likely to be a softneck variety. Softnecks are generally grown in warmer climates (80% of the World's garlic is grown in China), but there are plenty that are well suited to Northern European gardens.

Softneck varieties produce larger bulbs than hardnecks, and they give an earlier harvest (by 2-3 weeks) if both types are planted at the same time as each other.

From a softneck seed garlic bulb, you would expect to get 8-10 good sized cloves for planting. There will be more smaller cloves in the centre of the bulb, but the larger cloves produce the largest bulbs - and thus are better used in the kitchen.

In terms of variety, you will also have a much wider range of options than you would with hardneck garlic.

Hardneck Garlic
Hardneck garlic will produce slightly smaller bulbs than softnecks, but they tend to have a stronger, more pronounced garlic flavour. As hardnecks are very rarely found in the shops, they are well worth growing for one of those rare treats that are only available to the home grower.

You can easily tell the two types apart, as the hardneck produces a stiff, central stalk on the middle of the bulb with the cloves arranged around it. The central stalk or scape (pictured below) will eventually form a flower, but if it's cut at the immature stage it can be used as a delicious garlic green in June before the bulbs themselves mature.

Preventing the garlic from flowering by cutting and removing the scapes will also result in bigger bulbs - as energy will not be used to grow the flower and produce seed.

You would expect to get 6-8 cloves for planting from a hardneck variety. Most of them are large, as the stem replaces the central cluster of cloves found in a softneck. You will also find that hardnecks don't store quite as long: they will keep for 8-9 months compared to 11 for softneck varieties. Then again the flavour is so good that they will be used long before then.