Just when you thought you were done with harvest season and all the picking and storing, it’s time to plant garlic! Before you plant garlic in the fall, let’s talk about hardneck vs. softneck garlic.
Garlic is one of my favorite crops to grow because it is no-nonsense. It grows almost anywhere, and once you plant it in the fall, requires little care. It’s as easy as adding some organic fertilizer in the spring. After a few months, you can harvest the garlic bulbs and start the whole process over again in the fall.
However, not all garlic is the same, and not all types of garlic are suited for all climates.
The “neck” part of the name refers to the stalk that grows above ground. Hardnecks have a stem that starts in the middle of the bulb and grows up. When they are fully grown, the stem becomes stiff.
Softnecks have a central stalk that remains soft until maturity. You often see softneck garlic braided at harvest time for easy storage.
Hardneck garlic is most like wild garlic, while softneck garlic was created by commercial farmers to meet the needs of grocery stores that need a lot of it. Both garlic types are popular and have pros and cons to consider.
With garlic growing in popularity, more gardeners are discovering the joys of harvesting garlic scapes. These curly flower stalks have a mild garlic flavor and can be used in cooking in place of garlic cloves. But scapes form mainly on hardneck garlic varieties. So does softneck garlic produce scapes?
Let’s take a closer look at the differences between hardneck and softneck garlic and the scape situation for each type.
What is a Garlic Scape?
A scape is a curly flowering stem that hardneck garlic varieties send up in early summer. It contains a swelling at the tip that will eventually burst open into small aerial bulbs.
The scape diverts energy away from enlarging the underground garlic bulb. Gardeners remove scapes to encourage maximum bulb size.
Scapes are completely edible. They offer a milder garlic taste than the cloves and add texture to dishes. Common uses for scapes include pesto stir fries omelets, and more.
Hardneck Garlic Scapes
Hardneck garlic gets its name from the hard central stem found inside each bulb. This is in contrast to softneck varieties that lack this woody core.
In early summer hardneck garlic sends up scapes from the central stalk within the bulb. Left alone the scapes will flower and produce tiny aerial bulbs.
It’s recommended to snap off the scapes soon after they appear. Removing them redirects the plant’s energy into bulb production rather than flowers or seeds.
Popular hardneck garlic types like Purple Stripe Porcelain and Rocambole will all produce scapes when grown properly. Scapes begin emerging around early to mid summer.
Softneck Garlic Has No Scapes
Softneck garlic varieties do not produce flower stalks or scapes. The name refers to the soft, pliable stems found on these types.
Without a hard central flowering stem, softnecks have no capacity to generate scapes. The underground bulbs send energy directly into enlarging the cloves rather than above ground growth.
Typical softneck garlic types include Silverskin and Artichoke. They form bulbs with many smaller, tightly packed cloves arranged around the soft stem.
Since softnecks don’t make scapes, you’ll never harvest curly garlic stems from Artichoke, Silverskin or other softneck varieties.
Why No Scapes on Softneck Garlic?
The main reason softneck garlic doesn’t produce scapes comes down to genetics.
Softneck varieties evolved without the genes to create a central flowering stem or “scape.” They put their energy into enlarging the bulb rather than flowering.
In fact, modern softneck garlic was developed by selecting plants that didn’t waste resources making scapes or flowers. This resulted in higher bulb yields.
Even if a softneck garlic plant did somehow produce a scape, it would likely be sterile and not produce aerial bulbs. The genetics simply aren’t there for reproductive structures.
Can Softnecks be Tricked into Producing Scapes?
Is there any way to coax a softneck variety into generating scapes? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
Without those specific genetic traits for flowering, softneck garlic will never form proper scapes. Even under ideal growing conditions or stress, the most you may see is an occasional aberrant leaf.
The lack of scapes is a defining feature of softneck garlic types. There are no tricks to generating curly flower stems on softneck bulbs.
Choosing Garlic for Scapes
If harvesting garlic scapes is your goal, make sure to plant hardneck varieties like Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe, Rocambole, or Porcelain.
Popular scape-producing cultivars include ‘Russian Red’, ‘Chesnok Red’, and ‘Persian Star’.
For the best scape production, grow hardneck garlic types suited to your growing zone. Scapes will emerge in early summer about 1 month before bulbs are ready to harvest.
Simply remove any curly stalks by snapping them off just above the top leaves. Scapes are edible and can be enjoyed fresh or preserved by freezing or pickling.
While you won’t get scapes from softneck garlic, these types have their own benefits. They are better adapted for long term storage and contain more individual cloves per bulb on average.
So make room for some hardneck and softneck garlic varieties in your garden!
Sub-Groups of Hardneck Garlics
Hardneck garlic is broken into sub-groups. Each of these types has different characteristics that make them slightly different from the others.
This type of garlic is known for being very hardy in cold weather and is the easiest and most reliable to grow.
Porcelain garlic bulbs have 2-7 cloves per bulb with a strong, pleasant flavor. If you’ve never grown garlic before, this is a great choice. Plus, it keeps a little longer than other hardneck garlic types. My go-to variety in Vermont, Music, is a porcelain.
Purple Stripe garlic is genetically considered to be the ancestor of all other garlic. It has a pretty bulb with different colored stripes and purple-pink papery skins that sparkle. Each bulb has 8–12 cloves.
Rocambole garlic is harder to grow. To make good bulbs, it needs rich, fertile soil that drains well and a lot of cold days.
However, this type of garlic is known for having the best flavor and easy-to-peel cloves. Each bulb produces 8-12 cloves. I’m taking my chances this year and growing a popular Rocambole variety, Spanish Roja, for the first time.
Sub-Groups of Softneck Garlic
Softneck garlic has fewer varieties, but they’re broken into two sub-groups: artichoke and silverskin.
Artichoke garlic grows in various conditions, so it’s an excellent option for home gardeners. The cloves are larger than Silverskin garlic; each bulb produces 6-25 cloves.
The plant is easy to grow and has a great shelf life of eight to ten months. The cloves are pretty easy to peel. If you’re looking for productive garlic plants with large bulbs this is a great choice.
Silverskin garlic has a flavor that is often described as “hot,” rather than nuanced. The plants are more heat-tolerant than others, growing well to zone ten, a subtropical region. The bulbs can produce up to 40 cloves!.
Silverskin garlic bulbs can be stored for up to a year, which is the longest time. They are also known for being easy to grow in a wide range of conditions.
Did You Plant Garlic? You Need to Cut Off the Scapes!
Do softneck garlic grow scapes?
They do not produce scapes and grow pliable, soft stems that are sometimes braided. Botanically known as Allium sativum var. sativum, softneck garlic varieties do not require prolonged cold exposure to form bulbs, making them ideal for southern gardens. Softneck garlic is the preferred choice for warm, southern climates.
Should I grow soft-neck garlic or hard-neck?
For those of you in warmer climates, you’ll do best growing soft-neck garlic, which does not produce garlic scapes. Most people consider hard-neck garlic a little tastier, and you get garlic scapes as a bonus. The only negatives are that hard-neck bulbs don’t store as well as soft-neck, and you can’t braid the stems.
What is softneck garlic?
Softneck garlic is the most common commercially available, with plentiful cloves that are smaller in size and last longer in storage than hardneck types. These are the classic white garlics you most often see in grocery stores. They do not produce scapes and grow pliable, soft stems that are sometimes braided.
How do you differentiate softneck and Hardneck garlic heads?
In addition to the existence of a scape, there are other characteristics which make it possible to differentiate betweeen softneck and hardneck garlic heads: Garlic braids – If you purchase a braid of garlic, it’s most likely softneck. The woody scapes make braiding hardneck garlic more difficult, if not impossible.
