doglover, I'm enjoying your questions, because I'm new to garlic growing too. I've actually grown it before, but just in small amounts for myself, and didn't grow anything other than basic garlic, if there is such a thing. My neighbor picked it up at the farmers market for me, I stuck it in the ground, and harvested when it was ready. It was good, but I really want something different. Like you, I didn't know that there were so many different kinds of garlic.

Please keep asking questions because we can all learn something from the answers! One awesome thing about this site is that there are so many amazing people in one place! There may be a lot of different opinions on each topic, but that is what makes it so interesting to me! You're bound to find the correct answer for your situation, because there will likely be someone with the same growing conditions that has the right answer. And no matter what, you'll always learn something new!

Right now, I'm dreaming of Creole garlic, even though I've never had it before!

Doglover, when you taste true, fresh gourmet garlic, you will never want to buy typical grocery store garlic again. When you purchase garlic in your grocery store, and I don't even count elephant garlic as a comparison, that garlic will be typically 4-12 weeks old. That's just the process that garlic goes through to get to your grocery store shelves. The bulbs will be small (how much moisture will a bulb lose when sitting up 12 weeks?), but none of the bulbs will have been the typical 1/4 lb bulb that home-growers harvest.

Natalie, I have a feeling that you will end up planting a wonderful variety of garlic, including the Creole. One of the great things about Creole, is that when cooked, it maintains its flavor and zest. Most of the other garlic end up washed-out. A bonus of these varities is the simple look of it. They will have a beautiful, translucent red-purple coloration and look great simply hanging in the kitchen. They won't hang long though, You will want to cook with them every chance you get. Here in the south, particularly the deep-south, Creole cooking is a joy and main-stream. Cajun cooking simply combines Creole with extra spices, giving a "kick" to the food. Anyone out there like "blackened" food? Ken in Mississippi

P.S. Watch my website so you can get my garlic when it is first available, and freshest. I sold out last year and will do so again this year. I had a purchaser that wanted to buy ten times what I produced, but by the time he contacted me, I had already sold out of what I had.

MaryE said:My elephant garlic came from Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply, Grass Valley, CA www.GrowOrganic.com The new varieties I ordered for this year are from Territorial Seed www.territorialseed.com

I just clicked on the link for Territorial Seed, and noticed that they do not ship to Canada or Idaho. Those were the only two places mentioned. Ken, do you have any idea if there is a reason why it can't be shipped to Idaho? Of course, now I'm wondering if you can ship to Idaho? I've been reading some of the rules for Idaho because there was a discussion on the Daylily forum about different states, and I didn't see anything about garlic in the rules.

Natalie, since I sell mostly tropical plants, with garlic being a short-seasonal item, I don't know what plant restrictions are present for Idaho. I have shipped to forty-four states in the short time I have had my cottage business, and I don't ship to Hawaii, Alaska, or internationally because of the cost involved. I have shipped to Idaho, as well as the other forty-three states, without problems.

It is 4:30 AM and I am about to have a cup of coffee before loading up the SUV with 50-60 orchid plants. I am a first-time vendor at our regional Garden Expo and will be taking the orchids over to complete my first-day array of plants. I spent six hours yesterday setting up the displays and putting out my other tropical plants, orchid supplies, and wood mounts. I will have approximately 100 tropical plants plus the mounts and supplies. I don't know what to expect but I hope I sell enough to pay for the space! Ken

Ken, thanks for your comments on Cajun food. I was given some multiplier onions called gumbo onions. They are definitely stronger than the other multiplier onion I grow. Zesty is a good description ~ thanks!

Good luck with the orchids at the Garden Expo. I think that sounds wonderful and would come home with more than I took.

Natalie, I have a current catalog from Filaree Garlic Farm (north central Washington), and was looking at their shipping information. No restrictions are mentioned. You can find them online at www.filareefarm.com

Check with the agricultural extension office in Idaho to be sure about what can and cannot be shipped from other states into Idaho. I know there is a restriction on grapes coming from Idaho or other places into Oregon because Oregon does not want diseases from other areas to infect our grape growing industry. Animal movements are also regulated for the same reason. Every state has different regulations, based on their own concerns. Garlic and other alliums can carry viruses that infect the soil for many years.

Thanks everyone:
Natalie: Thank you for the compliment about asking questions. Something I have never been afraid of doing. The only way to learn is to get as much information as possible, and yet be open minded. Found out that thru the years. No matter what a person is researching, there has been information/advice passed along that sometimes needs to be over looked and given a second thought. Sounds like you had some experience growing garlic and plan to grow Creole. How did you come up to that conclusion?

Unfortuantely, I along with many other "home gardeners" do not have acreage to be able to experiment growing many varieties in hopes to find a couple that we are delighted with and so we have to be very selecetive as to which ones we are planting. Thus, asking advice as to recommendations for whatever it is we are asking about. Wheteher it be edible or non edible. I think my best bet is to wait for the farmer's markets and hope they will be selling different varieties and be knowledgeable about what they sell. Not looking to be a "producer and/seller". No room for that. My goodness, perennials would have to go and that is not going to happen! LOL

Thank you Ken for your comments and info about the store garlic. Once I finally make a decision on what to plant (looks like October around here), I should be able to harvest my own next June. Looking forward to that. Probably need to "taste" many of the varieties. Good luck with your Orchid sales.

Pod: Does Gumbo onions taste like a Creole flavoring? Something esle I need to research for my son.

Mary: I checked out the website....100 varieties of garlic world wide. Looks like it is going to take me years to find and sample garlic to find the "3" or so I might want to grow. Interesting to know about alliums and garlic carrying virus.....did all you garlic growers know this????

Wish me luck with my endeavers. Like many other home gardenrs reading this, perhpas there will be folks here in June that will harvest some of theirs and perhpas offer some in their trading endeavors for perennials. Love when gardeners help each other. Always pay it forward.

Good luck everyone with all your gardening. Down to 19 here last night.....no spring in sight yet. Marsha

Speaking of virus.... here is an article that has some good information and should make anyone think twice about planting grocery store garlic. It could have very long reaching problems. Although this article is a couple of years old, it explains the virus problem and shows what can happen. http://www.nwfoodnews.com/2011...

Thanks for the links, Mary. I'll read up on everything later when I have some free time. I've been reading up on the restrictions for Idaho, and there are some, but none that look like they will affect me. Most of the plants are ones that I've never grown, or plan on growing, so hopefully I won't have any problems. I've got so much to read up on regarding things up there! Every state is so different!

Marsha, I'd skip the grocery store garlic. I never buy garlic from there, as it just doesn't taste good to me. I get all of mine from the farmers market, but have my neighbor pick it up for me since he's a vendor there. There is no comparison on the taste, since like Ken said, the stuff at the store is stale by the time you get it. There's nothing like fresh! My "generic" white garlic that I grew wasn't the grocery store variety, but I never did find out the name. The neighbor forgot what it was when he got it for me, and the garlic vendor had sold out and he couldn't find him again. It was a hardneck variety, but that's all I know. The cloves were very large, and tasty, but kind of generic in flavor. That's why I want to try some new ones! The place we just bought up in Idaho has 12 1/2 acres, so I'll be able to grow as much garlic as I want, and still have as many flowers as I want! It's perfect!

Good luck at the expo Ken! Let us know how it went!

Pod: Does Gumbo onions taste like a Creole flavoring? Something esle I need to research for my son.

Marsha ~ not a Creole flavor but definitely more hot that the other multiplier onion I grow. I had only thought of peppers as being hot but this onion is too.

These may be some to try. We are going to mostly Creoles, but some others are very popular. These are ones we have grown and are repeating.

Chesnok Red - hardneck - one of the best for retaining flavor when cooked. Good for roasting

Asian Temptest - Asiatic HOT This was a favorite of people who wanted hot.

Chet's Italian Red - Artichoke Softneck - VERY POPULAR! Good one for eating raw.

Duganski - Purple Stripe - VERY POPULAR! Good flavor and good size

Inchellium Red - Artichoke - VERY POPULAR!

Pescadero Red - Creole - VERY POPULAR! Spicy, medium heat

Susanville - Artichoke/softneck - VERY POPULAR! Good for roasting

Thanks everyone:
Natalie: Good luck with your new acreage. Should have lots of room for plants and vegetables. Since I only have limited space and my main love is growing perennials and having room for 3 dogs to roam, I will definately not take a chance on just planting a clove of unknown garlic. This is something I thought about growing for years, since I found this site I am more encouraged to go ahead and try my luck.

Pod: Sounds like the Gumbo onion is something else I want to put in. Hope to try those potato towers this year also.

Arlene: Thank you for your suggestions. Now I have a list to consider.I think I will try 3 differnt kinds and let me son try the other 3. We definately want the more flavorful ones. We are garlicholics......just never took the time to research growing them and the varieties. Always was dissapointed in the store garlic.

All of you experienced garlic growers, which do you find easier to grow.........hardneck, softneck or artichoke and does the hardneck really store longer?
Which kinds are better for our zone 5a? The ground does freeze here in the winter.Thanks again! Marsha

Marsha, I'm so excited about having all that land to plant to my hearts content, and at the same time, having plenty of room for the dogs to run! We're all going to be so happy! After living on 1/5 of an acre for the last 11 years, it's going to feel like 100 acres! Now I need to convince the deer that they really don't like to eat flowers & veggies!

Natalie: Good luck with your new endeavors and enjoy life. Dogs will love it and remember, deer have to eat too. I am sure you will find a way to compromise.

Deer probably won't eat your garlic, but on the other hand, gophers will.

MaryE, I was told by the sellers that there were no gophers there. We walked quite a bit around the property, and I didn't see any gopher holes, so I think we may be safe. There is a huge fenced in garden area, but if you think the garlic will be safe from the deer, I'll plant them outside the fence. Do bunnies eat garlic? There were lots of bunnies there too!

Marsha, the deer have LOTS of food in the area, so if I fence them out of my flowers and veggies, I won't feel like I'm starving them. One of our dogs will spend all of her free time chasing them off, and I think they'll learn to keep their distance. The other dog would probably show them where the best flowers are to eat!

Not sure about bunnies, we don't have many since the coyotes keep them cleaned out. We only have deer in the garden in late summer and fall, after the garlic is out of the ground. Most of them go to higher elevations in spring and summer. Plant a few garlic outside the fence and see what happens.

I have never had deer or rabbits nibble on my garlic, celery, asparagus, or onions. The rabbits love lettuce though, so I have to put a 12" high plastic fence around those to keep the rabbits out. ken

Thanks Mary & Ken. Sounds like the garlic will be safe from the critters, and that gives me more room in the fenced in area! When my husband and I were looking for property up there, we laughed at all the 8 foot tall fences around the gardens. Just about every house had one, and we knew right away that the deer were a problem. We were there in October, and again in January, and there were deer everywhere.

Yes, we have them as we'll but we put up electric fence. After awhile they get lazy, even though they COULD jump, they don't. I guess there's plenty for them to eat otherwise. I would think the dogs being around will help both with the deer and the rabbits.