hard and soft neck garlic

[yorkshire sam]

what is the difference between hard and soft neck garllic?

[Maf]

It's all in the necks...

One is hard....

Sorry. I would like to know too.

[Cutecumber]

hardnecks are not long storers, I think because they have a thin outer coating. The cloves should be bigger and fewer than the softneck. They are considered by some to be the superior tasting type, but I confess I haven't tried one myself. They produce a strange coiled "scape" - a stalk - which has little bulbs on the end.

softnecks are the long storers and tend to be the ones that most of us buy as bulbs for eating and the ones that most people grow.

[Birdie Wife]

I've heard that hardnecks are also not totally hardy so Grapes growing in northern climes have to start them off in the spring rather than overwintering them which is more usual for softneck varities (which they need in order to divide well).

[Eyren]

I'm growing both this year, so will let you know

Not all garlic needs a cold spell in order to cleave, nor is it a simple division between hard and soft necks. The hardneck varieties I'm growing (Lautrec Wight, Chesnok Wight and Purple Heritage Moldovan) need cold, so I planted them in early February, whereas the softneck (Solent Wight) doesn't need cold and apparently crops better from a spring planting.