GARLIC GROWING GUIDE The ten steps of growing garlic Eating One of the best things about growing garlic is having year-round home-grown garlic to eat. Historically, garlic growing cultures planted several types of garlic for home consumption not only for year-round use but also for different cooking styles. Separating Separating Garlic bulb and clove skins can be challenging to remove. Some garlic types are easier to peel than others. For example rocambol e has a loose clove skin (it does not store long), and most purple stripes are easier to remove than the tighter skins of some other garlic groups. Garlic Bulbs To break the cloves from the bulbs involves separation. Use your thumbs to pull the bulb apart. This might require some force and if using the entire bulb consider pushing down on the bulb using your heal of your hand. Take care not to tear the clove skins during this process. Garlic Cloves Clove skin separation is even trickier. Place a clove down sideways on a cutting board and press firmly with your hand or the side of a wide bladed knife to break the skin and snap the inner loose. This technique might cause some clove bruising. Otherwise consider pouring boiling water on cloves sitting in cold water which will make it easier to peel. A silicon tube garlic peeler which rolls between your palms with a clove or two inside is a cheap and effective tool that is widely available too. There are also a range of online videos of other techniques to try. We find the easiest cloves to peel by hand are porcelain cloves, closely followed by the strongly bolting hardnecks. Chemistry Garlic Chemistry Garlic has been used as medicine, a flavouring agent as well as a food for sever al millennia. Garlic bulbs are made up of nearly 60% water, 33% carbohydrates, 6% proteins and less than 1% of fats. They contain a small amount of ten types of sugars, as well as amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Garlic's most unique agent is associated with the organic sulphur compound that gives garlic it distinctive smell and taste. Sulphurs are known to be antibacterial and antifungal. I t was not until the 1940's that scientists discovered that the antibacterial properties in crushed garlic is allicin. It is not present in uncrushed garlic. Interestingly, scientists found the amino acid alliin which is present in the natural constituent of fresh garlic, when crushed releases an enzyme called alliinase which then converts alliin into allicin. Cooking and our stomach acids destroys allicin. Despite this crushing, chopping or slicing garlic for cooking, garlic releases a complex mix of reactions of active ingredients and health benefits. Using Using Garlic The different garlic groups are diverse as the countries cuisine which traditionally used garlic. They are as different as the difference between French, Asian, Italian, Russian or Spanish cooking styles and ingredients. Each of these countries, over thousands of years have shaped their provincial garlic to their specific cuisine. Garlic is versatile in the kitchen. The cloves can be eaten raw (although some types are very strong and pungent) and the best one to be used raw is the turba n group . This type in Europe is often called a 'summer garlic' as it is the first to be harvested ready for summer and is less oily and more watery. Turban's are often used raw in dips or rubbed into salads compared to other garlics which contain more natural oils which protect the garlic flavour when heated. Other milder garlics like standard and glazed purple stripe or rocamboles are also good raw. Garlics that are cooked or blanch ed garlics usually have a high oil content in the clove which protects the flavours during heating to make sauces, roasted smoked and put on the BBQ. Garlic can also be pickled with vinegar or dehydrated and made into a concentrated (1-3 x) powder or garlic salt. Depending how you wish to use garlic, the cloves can be used whole, chopped, sliced, shaved, crushed or even bruised. All of these techniques will release the alliinase enzyme to produce the sulphuric aroma. When g arlic is heated it breaks down alliin and gives garlic it s rich flavour. Baking whole bulbs or cloves has the least therapeutic effect, the least pungency but many enjoy the mildness that results from baking. Sautéed garlic can also bring out the aromatic flavours. Garlic can be cold or hot smoked as well as be frozen particularly as cloves. Also another way of eating garlic is as 'B lack Garlic'. This garlic is be made from standard garlic bulbs where they are heated for several weeks at a low temperature. It gives the garlic a caramelised umami flavour - it tastes weirdly nothing like garlic. Black garlic is not fermented (no bacteria or micro-organisms are at play) but uses the Maillard reaction to chemically alter the bulb with a reaction of between an amino acid and a reducing sugar. This results in a dark brown to black inner cloves and is like moist licorice. It's considered both sweet and savoury and is often used on crackers, in meals or pureed as a dressing. Other aspects of the garlic can also be used such as garlic sprouts which are immature garlic harvested early and look a bit like spring onions and have a more mild flavour. Scapes (flower stems) can be fried particularly good in stir fries. The c reole type are less fibrous making them ideal for scape pesto while marbled purple stripe and porcelain have thick scapes and are well-suited for grilling. Bulbils can be eaten unpeeled and raw and different types have varying skin thickness and heat profiles. They can be used to spice up a dish or sprinkled on cooked meal which adds a mild garlic flavour to pizzas. They also work for salads or other foods as a seasoning. Garlic rounds (uncloved bulbs) can also be used in the same manner as cloves. Flavours Garlic Flavours Each garlic group has different flavour characteristics. Turban's are a fresh eating garlic usually used raw in salads and dips since they are less oily , the flavour is destroyed and muted during cooking . Eaten raw they have a crisp savoury flavour, if sautéed they offer a nutty flavour while roasted are sweet, nutty with a caramelised flavour. Asiatic are best cooked in a stirfry or sautéed with a lasting strong nutty flavour offering good heat. Creole garlic generally has a hot, sweet and nutty flavour and these purple stripe garlic are also full bodied garlics. The are best sautéed, slow cooked or roasted, with a gentle sauté retaining heat, while more nuttier when crisp. The softneck garlics ( silverskin and artichoke ) generally are more simple to the palate and have a lack of depth of flavour and more vegetative character compared to the hardneck types. They are great for using in sweet dishes like Italian tomato receipes as they cut through the sweetness of the meal. These softneck garlics are best sautéed or slow cooked. The purple stripes of Standard Purple Stripe , Marbled Purple Stripe and Glazed Purple Stripe have an excellent taste and not as sweet as Rocambole . Some people prefer them over the sweeter types as their flavours are intense and complex. Glazed purple stripe is best eaten raw or in a stirfry. Standard purple stripe and glazed purple stripe are best sautéed, slow cooked or roasted to increase their flavours and increase caramelisation. Porcelains are best sautéed , slow cooked or roasted which softens their heat and brings out their richness. Rocambole garlic is considered to have the supreme garlic taste and is a favorite of chefs with its rich, complex and sweet flavours. It has a buttery and creamy texture which coats the mouth much like garlic butter . They are very versatile and can be used raw, sauté, slow cooked and roasted which some chefs describe as earthy, floral and certainly creamy. The colder the climate in which the garlic is grown the hotter the garlic tends to taste. Surprisingly, small bulbs well-grown in poor soils can be the best tasting and storing garlic.

GARLIC GROWING GUIDE The ten steps of growing garlic Planning It is important to determine your climate zone before choosing the type of garlic you wish to grow, and thereby knowing when to plant and when harvest. Climate Clim ate Climat e has one of the g reatest influence s on growing garlic. While all ten global garlic groups can be grown in N Z , some grow better in different parts of the countr y than others . In general, garlic grows best in regions with cool to cold winters and hot summers. NZ is in the mid-latitudes (between the tropics and polar), and has a temperate climate with rainfall spread across the entire year. We have mild to warm summers and cool to cold winters compared to other countries. Wild garlic originates from the cold mountains of central Asia. The 10 garlic group s originate from this wild garlic and the chilling of winter is a natural p art of the garlic growing cycle . Sprout and c love formation is quick when cool temperatures are 5-10°C for 1-2 months , otherwise, bulbs and cloves may not properly develop and you will harvest more leek-like garlic with stumpy rounds and no cloves. As a result garlic needs a cold winter period to vernalis e to initiate growth - which in warmer climates garlic bulbs can be tricked by putting them in the fridge at the pre-planting stage . The young cloves can survive -10 °C and new shoots can survive -6°C without cellular damage. It would be rare for a bulb to be affected by cold NZ conditions unless the soil freezes very quickly and deeply. Garlic remains in dormancy with juvenile shoots only having up to four leaves until the temperatures rises above 12 °C and they begin to grow secondary leaves. As a result t here are few places in NZ where people reside in which garlic cannot thrive. Also the colder the climate the hotter the ga rlic tends to taste and bulbs tend to be larger. Climate Zone Map NZ Garlic Climatic Zones MILD WINTER COOL WINTER COLD WINTER Those that live in the more northern coastal parts of our country with mild winters need not be disappointed. There are ways to artificially vernalise garlic in preparation for planting. Also consider planting garlic types like turbans , creole and asisatic garlic groups which grow well in areas with mild winters. Our temperate climate can be divided into three main garlic growing zones of winters that are 'mild', 'cool' and 'cold ' . Unlike most plants, garlic might not be as successful if collected from a local source. It is a fact that acclimatization for garlic is best when garlic bulbs come from a colder climate to a warmer one, and from a higher altitude 300+ to a lower one. The opposite will result in the garlic taking years to acclimatize. Porcelain or rocambole prefer very cold winters . Before choosing a type of garlic consider your garlic- growing climate zone or where best to source garlic from within the country . Types Garlic Diversity Garlic is not just garlic. Between the different garlic groups there is a massive range in planting/harvesting times, storage and flavours. There are ten global garlic grou ps and each have a particular climate zone pr eference. Consider picking a few groups or try all of them so see what works in your zone and your unique home micro-climate. Try our garlic group picker ​ to help decide which garlic to grow. The ten garlic groups are: Mild Climate Garlics MILD CLIMATE GARLICS These five garlics are the best performing for mild winter zones Creole Mid Season | Long Sto ring | 5-10 cloves The Flamb oy ant: this small one is hot, dresses in vibrant rosy clove skins, and is a real c rowd-pleaser Turba n Early Season | Short St oring |6-12 cloves The Earlybird: Likes to arrive early at the garden part y and prefers to be eaten first Asiatic Early Season | Med Storing |5-10 cloves The Oriential: this one enjoys the warm humid clim ate of the north Silverskin Late Season | Long Storing | 10-30 cloves The Keeper: A long storer that loves being braided, produces plentiful cloves, and is easy on the taste buds Artichoke Mid-season | Med Storing |10-20 cloves The Reliable: The best all-rounder, loving most climate zones, is happy in a braid and has a clean taste Cool Climate Garlics COOL CLIMATE GARLICS These five garlics are the best performing for cool winter zones Silverskin Late Season | Long Storing | 10-30 cloves The Keeper: A long storer that loves being braided, produces plentiful cloves, and is easy on the taste buds Artichoke Mid-season | Med Storing |10-20 cloves The Reliable: The best all-rounder, loving most climate zones, is happy in a braid and has a clean taste Standard Purple Stripe Late-season | Med Storing |8-12 cloves The Godfather: The easy-peeling garlic from which all other garlics originate ... best of all: this wild one's the sweetest Marbled Purple Stripe Late-season | Med Storing |4-9 cloves The Baker: An easy-peeler is know for its tastiness when roasted Glazed Purple Stripe Late-season | Med Storing |6-12 cloves The Dazzler - Has an easy-peeling glossy sheen of silver and gold ... it's a real head-turner Cold Climate Garlics COLD CLIMATE GARLICS These five garlics are the best performing for cold winter zones Standard Purple Stripe Late-season | Medium Storing |8-12 cloves The Godfather: The easy-peeling garlic from which all other garlics originate ... best of all: this wild one's the sweetest Marbled Purple Stripe Late-season | Med Storing |4-9 cloves The Baker: An easy-peeler is know for its tastiness when roasted Glazed Purple Stripe Late-season | Med Storing |6-12 cloves The Dazzler - Has an easy-peeling glossy sheen of silver and gold ... it's a real head-turner Porcelain Late-season | Med Storing | 2-6 cloves The Beauty: Large teardrop form, produces a few massive cloves, is at the top of its field Rocambole Late-season | Short Storing |7-14 cloves The Chef: Culinary perfection and renowned as the tastiest with a sweet nutty flavour Seasonal Plan Seasonal Plan Before preparing for, planting or harvesting garlic it is good to have an idea of the various timings needed to grow garlic. Based on your climate and the garlic groups you are planning to grow there will be different timeframes to plan around. Planting garlic in NZ generally occurs from late autumn to winter (March to June) while harvesting takes place in late spring and into summer (November to February). The old saying 'plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest' is only a rough guide which doesnt account for the type of garlic nor the latitude at which it is planted. Our calendar gives a practical method of determining when to plant each type of garlic and other key tasks .

Asiatic Garlic Group Early Season| Med Storing | 5-10 cloves The Oriential: enjoys the warm, humid climate of the north Asiatic garlic is harvested early, normally just after the turban group. It is a semi-hardneck garlic growing best in warmer climates with mild winters. This garlic group produces several cloves per bulb and has a white colour with a purple striped bulb wrapper. It grows best in a mild winter climate ​ . As a semi-bolting hardneck garlic type it generally sends up a flower scape with a relatively solid stem which is not braidable. This garlic might not produce scapes when grown in warmer climates if not vernalised . The garlic's taste ranges in heat from mild to hot, and is considered very complex and flavoursome. Characteristics Clove & Bulb Appearance The bulb is normally a flat tened globe shape , it generally has a purple stripe d wrapper (skin) and contains between 5-10 cloves. The bulbs have a single layer of cloves. Generally all cloves of a standard sized bulb are suitable for planting . The clove skin can be pale or very vibrant and can be tight and hard to peel. The cloves are wedge-shaped with short clove tips. They have a moderate storage duration of around 6-7 months after harvest. Bulbils T his hardneck garlic generally sends out a scape (flower stalk) particularly in colder climates. They typically produce only a few bulbils (4-10) which are extra large and dark purple coloured. They are also known to sometimes have large bulbils embedded in their stems known as ne s t sets. Leaves & Scapes Asiatics have wide leaves which are tall and grow upright . The leaf colour is medium green. Scapes tend to droop and not coil, while the umbel has a narrow, pale yellow-green appearance. The spathe typically has an elongated dimple on lower part.

TOP 10 TIPS Disappointed each season with small, weak and poorly performing garlic bulbs? These are our top 10 tips for the best chances of harvesting the largest, healthiest and the best looking garlic bulbs. 1) Choose the right garlic type Each of the ten garlic groups prefers a particular climate zone. We have divided the country into three main garlic growing zones . Choosing the right garlic for your climate zone is the first step for growing big healthy garlic bulbs. 2) Prepare your garden bed Pick a sunny spot . I f possible use a garden bed which has not had any allium species (leek, onion, chives) in it for the past couple of years and ensure that your soil is rich in nutrients, light and well drained. Our guide offers more detail on garden preparation. 3) Pick the best time to plant The old saying 'plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest' is a very rough guideline. Planting really depends on your climate zone and the type of garlic grown. Check out our planting guide for when to plant. 4) Find big cloves from big bulbs It's so important to only plant big cloves from big bulbs - research shows this provides the best results. Planting small cloves will almost always return poor results. If possible try to obtain bulbs from a higher altitude and southern latitude from your garden. These cloves from such bulbs will have more vigour when taken to a warmer and lower elevation. 5) Follow best planting practices Plant cloves not bulbs. The clove tip should sit to the top, and ideally planted 20x20cm apart and 2-7cm deep (the colder the deeper). For more planting information following our planting guide . 6) Dispose of the rogues Find the rogues! Keep a close eye on your crop for common problems or unusual coloration of leaves. Whether this be yellowing (nutrient or an infection), brooming, or multiple shoots. If it's affecting the occasional plant then dispose of it, if there are many then it might be a nutrient deficiency, a disease or a pest. 7) Fertilise y our soils While it is important to have your soils rich in nutrients prior to planting, it' s more important to put on th e right fert iliser at the right time. Choose organic slow release nitrogen fertiliser at regular intervals in spring (eg. blood and bone) for leaf growth. At maximum leaf number ( in most places 10-12), stop and change to an organic slow release potassium fertiliser (eg. potash) to enhance bulbing. 8) Weed, weed and weed! Garlic hates competition. Some growers use mulch to suppress weeds , while others do the hard mahi by hand. Either way, weed free soil ensures the best chance of larger bulbs. 9) Remove the scapes Most hardneck garlic will produce a scape, especially if you live in a cool to cold winter climate. While some hardneck garlics respond differently to scape removal, but it's best to remove the scape to give you a greater chance of a 10-30% bigger bulb. 10) Know when to harvest Harvest time depends on your climate zone and type of garlic grown. Harvest too early and bulbs have not matured, while harvesting too late results in the bulb skin splitting and will not store as long. Stop watering a month out , and follow our harvesting guide to know when to harvest your big healthy garlic bulbs.

GARLIC GROWING GUIDE The ten steps of growing garlic Storing Unless eaten green, preserved or dehydrated garlic should be stored as fresh bulbs. Once garlic is dried it needs to be sorted, hung and left ready to be eaten. This is the second part after harvesting where the garlic goes through a dormancy period. Prepare Preparation Once garlic is dry it needs to be sorted to make sure that is has no disease. C hoose the best bulbs for next years crop and prepare it for storing. Trimming It is necessary to remove the roots and the dirty bulb wrappers before storing. Unless you are looking at plai ting your softneck garlic, also to remove the false stem or pseudostem (what most people think of as the stem) prior to storing. This can normally be done with a pair of scissors, although the hardneck garlic (less so the semi-bolting turbans , creoles and asiatics ) are likely to need to be cut with secateurs as the stem is very tough. While removing the dirty bulb wrapper and trimming, watch for any bulbs with damage or disease. Any in poor condition should be destroyed. We keep the necks on the bulb quite long, the longer the neck being stored the longer it should keep as it reduces air and moisture entering the bulb. The same can be said with keeping on as much bulb wrapper as possible for storing. Si zing Sizing is a process more important for commercial gro wers but is necessary for the home gardener to find the best bulbs for replanting next year. Bulb s izing names vary in the industry both here abroad. We use a wooden template to poke bulbs through to decide the various grades. Premium prices are obtained for larger bulbs which contain larger cloves, as generally larger cloves will grow large bulbs next year. A small bulb could o nly weigh 20gm, while a extra large could weigh in at 100+gms. This is a five fold difference to any returns for a commercial grower if selling by weight and for the home gardener a larger bulb and cloves are easier to use in the kitchen. Garlic grades are based on the width of the garlic. Commercial garlic grade within the trade is based on a numbering system. Size 3 is 30-35mm, 4 is 35-40mm, 5 is 40-45mm, 6 is 45-50mm while grade 7 is 50-55mm. We prefer a grade based on a description of the size. Our preferred sizing scale would be: • Small <50mm • Medium 50-60mm • Large 60-70mm • Extra Large 70mm+ Stati stics If you are a commercial grower or a re an interested home grower, then the best time to record the results of your harvest is after grading . We collect information on bulb size, average bulb weight and other records between the different garlic groups. In this way we know how much garlic to grow next year, whether our trials worked, and our growing regimes for the next season. Our goal is constant improvement. Pl aiting Garlic One way to keep your softneck garlic (silverskin and artichoke ) is to plait them before or after curing. While the strongly bolting garlics cannot be plaited due to their thick scape, in some warmer climates some of the semi-bolting hardneck (turban , creole and asiatic ) garlic groups might be able to be plaited. There are plenty of online videos describing how to plait garlic. Store Storing When to Store Storing garlic is the final stage of curing. In NZ even in cold climates where the late harvesting garlics occurs in early February, the start of Autumn in March is a time when culinary garlic (not planting stock) should begin to be stored. This is because in March in NZ the weather typically begins to change. Daily tempe r atures below 1 6 °C and moist air from rainfall (>65% humidity) are the seasonal triggers for garlic bulbs to develop green internal shoots in preparation for shooting. Naturally garlic is capable of shooting two months after harvesting - particularly turbans . Therefore it is best to bring culinary garlic inside whe re temperatures are more stable and where garlic can be enjoyed for the rest of the year. How to Store Garlic should be stored in a dry, mild, low humidity environment out of direct light. Ideally , garlic should be stored between 10-20 °C. The optimum temperature is 13-14 °C. If the garlic is stored too cool (between 4-1 0 °C) it is likely to sprout. Storing temperatures above 20 °C results in quic ker bulb shrinkage and decreases their storage life. Garlic is best stored at 45-50% relative humidity. Low humidity will result in the bulb withering, too high (70+%) and it will encourage molds and roots to form. Ideally garlic should be stored in a stable temperature zone without significant fluctuations. While it is difficult to obtain ideal home conditions, try to find a spot that will be satisfactory. Put garlic in a space with good air circulation (not air tight containers). A good place is a paper bag, woven or netted bag/basket similar to those used for onions. Do not use glass or plastic containers as garlic will generate condensation and molds. Garlic matures in storage. At their freshest and juiciest after harvest the clove skins are hard to peel. As garlic ages the flavour is enhanced, the clove shrinks making it easier to peel. In storage all cloves will eventually dry out, go moldy or sprout . Depending on the type of garlic and how tight their bulb and cloves skins are garlic will continue to lo se weight through moisture loss. Softneck garlic is known to lose 4-5% of their weight during normal storage, some types (porcelain , standard purple stripe and glazed purple stripe lose 5-10%), while the remaining garlic types can loose 10-15% of their weight due to continued drying. In the kitchen it is great to have a small amount of bulbs ready for use. It is best placed in a breathable container (not plastic), basket, terracotta pot or metal container with holes. Keep out of direct light and in or nearby the kitchen. Garlic types have different storage times. If you are growing a variety of garlic then consider using turban garlic first as it has the shortest storage duration. Consider the storage chart as to the length of storage for various types of garlic. Preserving Preserving Garlic Dehydrating G arlic This is a safe way to keep garlic long term. Pick healthy, firm cloves and remove their skins. Put them in a blender or slice them lengthways or into small pieces. Place on the dehydrator's drying trays until dry, golden and crisp. Keep in an airtight container away from direct light. The dry flakes can also be made into powder with a mortar and pestle or by using a blender with fine cutting blade. The taste remains distin ctly that of the original garlic group. Freezing Garlic Another proven storage technique is freezing the cloves which keeps much of their flavour. You can put the cloves with or without peeling them, into a ziplock bag and freeze. If pre-peeled you can also chop them before freezing. If the clove skins are on it is normally easier to remove them after they are frozen. Garlic in Vinegar Garlic can be preserved in vinegar or wine but it does change the flavour. We advise against preserving garlic in oil because of the risk of botulism. Garlic is prone to botulism due to it's pH being between 5.3-6.3 which is considered too high for preserving in this way. Smoked Garlic Garlic can also be hot or cold smoked. For hot smoked use whole bulbs and remove any loose wrappers (skin), brush olive oil over each bulb and smoke for 1-2 hours depending on the temperature of your smoker. The smoked cloves' contents should resemble a paste like roasted garlic. Cold smoking takes between 1-10 days. Black Garlic Using standard garlic bulbs, garlic can be turned into black garlic - a licorice like food with a non-garlic umami flavour. Black garlic can be made by importing a specialised cooker or alternatively by using a rice cooker, slow cooker or dehydrator can be used to keep garlic bulbs (wrapped in two layers of tin foil) at a low heat for 30-40 days. Black garlic is ready when the cloves are black and their contents treacly. It is not fermented as no bacteria or micro-organisms are used. Black garlic goes through the Maillard reaction of chemically changing amino acids which causes the browning. It's a treat.

Artichoke Garlic Group Mid Season | Med ium Storing | 10-20 cloves The Reliable: The best all-rounder loving most climate zones, is happy in a braid, and has a clean taste Artichoke garlic is named after the appearance of the clove layer pattern which looks a bit like an artichoke flower bud. This garlic is a popular mid-season softneck garlic and is considered to be the most adaptable garlic for all soil conditions and climate zones. This garlic group produces many cloves per bulb and can be plaited despite its wide leaves. It is often cropped commercially due to its high number of cloves, no scape removal required and its relatively long storage life. It grows best in a mild to cool winter climate ​ . This is a non-bolting garlic type meaning it does not send up a flower stalk known as a scape unless under stress. Under stress it does produce neck bulbils and a large, wide scape. This garlic has a mild simple vegetative flavour. Characteristics Clove & Bulb Appearance The bulb is normally a flattened oblong globe shape , generally white to tan in colour with purple blotches on the bulb wrapper (skin) particularly in cold climates. The bulbs contain between 10-20 cloves. The bulbs are generally larger than the other soft neck silverskin group. Artichoke garlic normally has multiple layers of cloves. There are often at least ten plantable cloves per bulb. The remaining inner cloves are small, tall and angular thus being less suitable as planting stock. The clove skin is often a dull, matt-white or cream colour. The outer cloves are typically plump square, flattened wedge with three flatish sides shaped with long tails on the outer cloves. The inner layers of cloves are tall, thin, roughly square sided or angular. Artichoke garlic typically stores for 7-9 months in ideal conditions. Bulbils T his softneck garlic generally does not send out a scape (flower stalk) unless it is stressed particularly by cold weather. Under stress they can produce clusters of neck bulbils on the lower half of their pseudostem . Those plants with bulbils will not be able to be plaited. Their skins are normally purple to dark purple in appearance and extra large (7-12mm) in size - the largest of any garlic . Leaves & Scapes Artichoke garlic has more sideways leaf growth compared to the silverskin softneck group. The leaf is very wide compared to other garlic groups and they tend to have leaf-flop halfway up. Thus they can be described as having a more horizontal spreading leaf appearance. Plants can tend to lie over close to harvest time. The leaf is a yellow- green colour. This garlic is easy to distinguish from silverskin and other garlics as it has a visible pink arrow at the stem of each leaf and is a softneck. Under stress ( particularly with chilly spring weather) this garlic can (rarely) produce a large scape with a purple blotch.

ABOUT US We are boutique garlic growers in the deep south. We love the varietal quirks so much that we wanted to share them with other garlic growers so they too could sample the unique flavours, shapes and gourmet garlic growing habits. Our Garlic We have grown garlic for our own use for many years in Kingston, Lake Whakatipu. The height of the Covid-19 pandemic gave us time to develop our spare residential section by building retaining walls, preparing the soil and raising growing beds and then growing our first commercial garlic crop. We have had some challenges. We thought it would be easy to source the 10 global garlic groups from a few suppliers around the country but it proved challenging in several ways. First of all, the demand for planted garlic was massive. So we struggled to find any bulbs in order to scale up our production. We found other kiwi gardeners loved planting garlic too. Secondly, we quickly found that suppliers only sell one or two types of garlic, generally the same, most commercially-viable softneck silverskin and artichoke garlic types. Thirdly, the nomenclature or the naming of the different types of garlic as they are all mixed up. Along with other confusing names, Russian Red and NZ Purple could be one of at least three different types depending on who was selling them. There is no way to identify them until you grow the bulbs and look for subtle indicators over a few years. We have standardised our garlic into the recognised ten global garlic groups to make things simple. We sourced much of our range from keen individuals that grow heirloom garlic. It took a few years to identify the types in order to build our special gourmet garlic sampler pack - the first and only such selection in the country. Today we grow all of the ten global garlic groups including a range of garlic bulbils . As a result we have amassed the broadest range of garlic in the country in order to grow bulbs with the gardener in mind. Our Plot & Ethos Being nestled in the southern mountains, at altitude with a constant cool lake breeze gives us the unique climate that helps us grow all the types of garlic - it has some similarities of the conditions wild garlic experiences in its homeland of Central Asia. Like most home gardeners, we grow all our garlic using hand tools on a small plot on our spare residential section. By living on the land and at this scale we can keep an eye on the crop by just walking a few paces from our door. We do not use machinery, and care for our garlic with more gentle hand tools. We grow our garlic to the highest quality we can achieve in our climate zone. It's not easy to maintain all ten global garlic groups in one location. We grow our bulbs using organic principals with no artificial fertilisers, sprays or additives. We use fully compostable packaging and fillings where we can to will enable you to put them in your compost bin to help build your own soils. We hope you will consider our range and enjoy learning from our garlic growing guide as much as we have enjoyed building it - it's the best resource of information for growing garlic for NZ's unique climatic conditions. We have put alot of effort into building and maintain the garlic growing guide. Please consider supporting us by following our social media links below. Happy garlic growing ! Gary & Kim Gourmet Garlic NZ

Spray free and cared for by hand, let us help you to choose a garlic type, then visit our shop and use NZ's best garlic growing guide Our Range Gourmet Sampler For those what want to try every global garlic type Mild Climate Pack Garlic that prefers a warmer winter Cool Climate Pack Garlic that prefers a cool winter Cold Climate Pack Garlic that prefers a cold winter Bulbil Packs Curious to try growing garlic's secondary cloves? SHOP Try our ... Garlic Growing Guide

Standard Purple Stripe Group Late Season| Med Storing | 8-12 cloves The Godfather: The easy peeling garlic from which all other garlic groups originate ... best of all this wild one's the sweetest Standard Purple Stripe garlic grows best in cold climates with cold winters. It is considered the most closely related to the original wild garlic, from which all other garlic originated, before being classified into the ten garlic groups now recognised. This garlic group produces several tan coloured cloves and typically has a purple hue on it s bulb wrapper. It grows best in a cool to cold winter climate ​. Standard Purple Stripe is a strongly-bolting hardneck type meaning it sends up a flower scape with a solid stem which is not braidable. This garlic is considered to have a great all round taste that is rich, spicy, strong - a fusion of different flavours. Characteristics Clove & Bulb Appearance The bulb is normally a round shape, generally it i s white with purple hues on its wra pper (skin) which contains between 8-12 cloves. The cloves 'hug' the pseudostem . The bulbs have a single layer of cloves. Generally all cloves of a standard-sized bulb are of a size suitable for planting. The cloves are smaller than many hardneck garlics and have a long cresce nt shape, angular edges and a long tail/tip. The clove skin is a dull tan colour with a purple blush. The cloves are easy peeling. The easy peeling nature of this garlic makes them ideal in the kitchen, while they have a medium storage life of around 7-9 months after harvest. Bulbils Standard purple stripe is a hardneck garlic which sends out a scape (flower stalk) particularly in colder climates. They typically produce a large amount (80-140) of small cream to pink coloured bulbils . L eaves & Scapes Standard Purple Stripe garlic has a wide, floppy tipped green-yellow leaf . Scapes normally form as a 3/4 loop with a wide green-yell ow umbel . The juvenile garlic leaf is unusual in that it splays sideways laying flat to the soil. Some growers label their early growing form as being a bit 'alien' like.

GARLIC GROWING GUIDE The ten steps of growing garlic The Basics Garlic is a sorely misunderstood plant. It is considered to be a food, a spice and a herb. It is a perennial root species grown as an annual root vegetable. What most of us see as a millimeter -thin root base is actually the stem, the edible cloves are swollen leaves, and the bulbs swell only when the plant is dying. Garlic has a unique smell and taste and proven antibiotic and anti-inflammatory powers but the jury is still out as to whether or not it wards off demons, werewolves and vampires . What is Garlic What is Garlic? Garlic is one of the 800 Allium (onion, leek and chive) species and one of just seven that are cultivated. It is the slowest vegetable to mature. Garlic is a single species ( Allium sativum ), and is divided into two sub-species being sativum (non-bolting types silverskin and artichoke varietal groups) and A. ophioscrorodon (bolting types of turban , creole , asiatic , porcelain , rocambole , standard purple stripe , marbled purple stripe and glazed purple stripe varietal groups). Effectively the two sub-species are distinguished by softneck garlic which that does not send up flower stalks, and the hardnecks that do. Knowing how to distinguish the parts of the plant and how the plant grows will help you with your own crop. We could say: get to know your garlic before you grow your garlic. Garlic consists of several parts as the diagram below illustrates. Garlic Plant Diagram Garlic Bulb Diagram Roots & Basal Plate From bottom to top a mature garlic plant consists roots, flat basal plate that roots come out of, and an underground true stem which holds the bulb with one or more layers of cloves under its skin (wrapper). Bulbs The bulb consists of a cluster of cloves. In a softneck bulb the cloves are arranged normally in three layers (the smallest in the centre) forming an oblong bulb shape. Softneck have two fertile leaves which support the bulb development. In a hardneck bulb the cloves generally have a single radial appearance with one fertile leaf. Depending on the location in New Zealand and the garlic group (cultivar), garlic clove is planted between March and June and harvested in November to February. Garlic develops its roots first and then produces leaves later - normally 1-2 weeks later for early harvesting garlic, and up to six weeks for late harvesting types. In the germination period in autumn and early winter the plant will produce 3-6 leaves before the cold harshest part of winter begins. During winter if the temperature is below 12°C (a temperature below which the plant is dormant) the garlic plant will have little to no growth. Once spring appears and temperatures rise above the dormant temperature the garlic rapidly grows and expands. Bulb for mation is dependent on a prolonged cold period, followed by warming spring weather, and increasing daylight length. When the air temperature and soils warm, the plant rapidly grows for 3-4 weeks before forming a bulb. Some garlic groups need more or less of these factors fo r bulb swelling. Bulbs and cloves grown in colder climates will generally be bigger (particularly the strongly bolting hardnecks) but with fewer cloves. Clove s The cloves (2-30) cling together and are the part of the plant that most people divide, eat or plant to grow their next garlic crop from the bulb. The shape of the different garlic group cloves vary. Leaves & Scapes The bulb supports the tall and narrow pseudostem or false stem (technically they are leaves) plus a cluster of leaves. The pseudostem is supple for A. sativum or softnecks (the ones you can plait) or firm for the A . ophioscrorodon hardnecks. Normally, cutting the bulb off the strong stalk of the hardneck after drying requires secateurs. The eight hardneck varietal groups generally send up a long, strong stalk late in the season known as a scape. Bulbils The eight hardneck varietal groups generally send up a long, strong stalk late in the season known as a scape. The scapes' flower stalk (technically an umbel) produces bulbils - this is a secondary survival mechanism for the plant. Bulbils' size can be rice-sized to pea-sized depending on the varietal group. They are in fact clones of the plant just like the bulb and cloves. While people often call bulbs or cloves seed this is not strictly correct, it's just that until recently that was the only way to garlic could be grown. Around the bulbils of the scapes, flowers can form. For more about bulbils, visit our bulbil planting section . True Seed Very rarely the flowers can produce viable black-sand sized seed known as 'true seed' or TGS. With prolonged cultivation (asexual using cloves) over thousands of years, garlic has almost lost the ability to sexually reproduce. It's a marvel for anyone to grow and produce garlic seed these days which normally comes from the purple stripe cultivars with strongly bolting and flowering plants. These are the closest relatives of the old wild garlic. True seed generally does not carry over viruses and has increased vigour allowing growers to selectively breed desirable traits. In NZ it is rare to find someone trying to grow garlic true seed, rarer for the flower to open and seed to form, and nearly impossible for the seed to be fertile and grow into new garlic. We would be keen to learn of any kiwi TGS legends out there. For more about to grow garlic true seed, visit our true seed section . Lifecycle Being the longest growing annual crop, garlic has several stages that take several months to pass through to reach maturity. A planted clove needs to send down roots first before sprouting before winter. The first signs of any diseased cloves can be found at seedling stage with rogue plants. Over winter in colder areas the plant does not grow while in warmer areas slow leaf growth continues. It is not advisable to apply any fertiliser during this cold period as there will be little uptake. In early spring the plant puts alot of its energy into stalk thickening and leaf growth. By late spring and early summer the plant transitions with scapes and some leaves begin browning off as the plant puts its energy into bulb development. The leaves are vulnerable to disease garlic rust at this stage. The final stage is when when bulbs develop cloves and they begin to swell. By now many leaves are browned off and the bulb and basal plate is most vulnerable to wet weather diseases which might be brought over to when it is harvested and cured. Garlic Origins Origins Wild garlic originates in the cold climate of central Asia, on the north-western side of Tien Shan - the 'mountains of heaven'. This long mountain range borders Uzbekistan in the west and China and Mongolia in the east. Wild garlic still grows here and its clos est rel ative is the Standard Purple Stripe group. Garlic was traded via the spice and silk roads over millennia. The Mediterranean, Continental and Asiatic cultures have grown the most desirable aspects of the garlic genetics to suit the regions' climate and specific cuisine of those places. These provincial garlics (of hundreds of cultivars) have shaped the characteristics to help form the ten different global garlic groups we have today. Garlic has been grown and traded for over 5,000 years, with Egyptian tombs depicting garlic bulbs and scripts describing medicines and forms of cooking with garlic. From there garlic spread throughout the ancient world with varying climatic conditions. The widespread cultivation around the globe using cloves (clones of the bulb) over the millennia led wild garlic to diversify into different types - it also resulted in a decline in its ability to sexually reproduce. Epigenetic changes in morphology to adapt to climate conditions, softneck garlic types evolved in a warmer climate and were selected for non-bolting characteristics. These will revert to producing scapes in colder climates. Thus today all garlic is one species (allium sativum ) with ten main global cultivars also known as 'garlic groups'. A generation ago there were many large NZ commercial growers of garlic and the sector was in a healthy state like other horticultural and agricultural industries. In the early 1990s the import tariffs were removed from garlic. Our commercial growers could not compete with low-priced Chinese grown single-cultivar imports. Today 3/4 of the world's garlic (about 30 million tonnes) is grown in China, almost all grown in the province of Shangdong. The NZ garlic industry was crushed. Today the NZ garlic industry consists of only a couple of large-scale growers. They supply the most economicly viable softneck garlic groups which have plentiful cloves thus making it more economic for resowing. To realise the potential different garlic types to grow and thirive in your area we invite gardeners to explore both the tastes and the variability by offering the widest range of garlic groups available in New Zealand. Garlic Groups Garlic Groups (Varietal Groups) Garlic is not all the same. There is a range of garlic groups (or varietal groups) which have different optimal times to plant and harvest, their storage length varies as do their flavour attributes. The groups were named by American garlic guru Ron Engeland in 1991, and a decade later his groupings were confirmed by genetic research. The 10 types of garlic in the group are the two softnecks - silverskin and artichoke , the three semi-bolting hardnecks: creole , turban and asiatic garlic, and the final five strongly-bolting hardneck garlics: porcelain , rocambole , standard purple stripe , marbled purple stripe and glazed purple stripe . Try our garlic group picker to help decide which garlic to grow. There is alot of confusion over the different names growers put on garlic. Some names like 'Red Russian' is a marbled purple stripe, while 'Russian Red' is a rocambole and is sometimes even an elephant garlic (which is a leek!). It is more useful to identify garlic using the ten global garlic groups because outside the of the groups variability differences are only related to local growing conditions. Genetic studies by Volt et al in the 2000's identified that garlic is one species with ten main garlic varieties scientifically known as 'garlic horticultural groups' or garlic groups. She found that each group is distinct as related to the bulb arrangement, size, number of cloves, clove colour and tightness of cloves, and number, size and colour of bulbils irrespective of where they are grown. All other variances relate to the variability of local growing conditions and are not reliable. The diagram below (greatly simplied from the genetic research of Volk et al) shows the genetic diversity between the different groups as a result of genetic sampling. Note the relationships and how the softneck garlics of silverskin and artichoke are not closely related, nor are they closely related to the hardnecks of the purple stripe groups. Also of interest is the close relationship of silverskin and creoles . Other characteristics such as bulb wrapper colour and size is highly dependent on the location in which they are grown. Nutrients affect bulb size and weight , while scape development is affected by climate, with humidity affecting scape curl. However, growers have noticed that the shape and colour of the scape's umbel base is different within each group. Shape and colour of the spathe varies within each garlic group. The base of a turban and marbled purple stripe have a red blush. Rocamboles and porcelain spathes turn white at maturity and Asiatic scapes have an elongated dimple. So in summary, outside genetic tests only the leaf and clove appearance, bulbil characteristics and scape shape and colour can be used to identify the ten groups. The chart below shows some of the differences of each garlic varietal group. Planning Guide Chart Another factor to consider is that garlic that is moved to a new region will take time to acclimatise to the new location. Some of the traits known for a particular garlic group might take a year or two to occur in a new location and soils. It is also known that garlic grows better when they are moved from a colder climate zone to one which is warmer. Thus it is best to ensure garlic bulbs/cloves are obtained from a cooler climate rather than a warmer one, otherwise they are likely to miniaturise for the first couple of years until they acclimatise. It's like a Northlander coming down here to the deep south in autumn only wearing a t-shirt and taking time to get used to our colder climate. Do not attempt to grow garlic which as been imported. This is for three reasons; firstly: they have only been imported for culinary purposes and have NOT been checked for disease - no gardener wants to introduce a new disease to their soils. Secondly, they are likely to have come from the northern hemisphere (most likely China or USA) and will not aclimatise well. Thirdly, they are likely to have been sprayed with a shooting hormone to stop it from shooting during storage - it will not grow properly. NZ culinary garlic is normally smaller and has been put in a cool store which interferes with its growth often getting secondary shooting if planted. Large NZ commercial growers who grow for culinary use often use the chemical maleic hydrazide which is a sprouting inhibitor as it is not intended for planting. As a result we recommend planting cloves from bulbs which are recommended for gardeners than the plate.