Purple Stripe Garlic: A Guide for Gardeners
What is Purple Stripe Garlic?
Purple Stripe garlic is a visually striking type of hardneck garlic that features vivid purple stripes or blotches on its wrappers and skins. The shade of purple can vary from deep and vibrant to pale, depending on the temperature during growth. Most Purple Stripe varieties produce 8 to 12 crescent-shaped cloves per bulb.
Growing Purple Stripe Garlic
Purple Stripe garlic is well-suited to a wide range of climates, including those with cold winters. However, it may struggle in hot, humid conditions. Here’s a step-by-step guide to growing Purple Stripe garlic:
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Planting: Plant garlic cloves in the fall, about four to six weeks before the ground freezes in your area. Divide a large Purple Stripe garlic bulb into individual cloves, selecting the plumpest ones for planting. Dig 2 to 3 inches of compost or well-rotted manure into the soil before planting. Plant the cloves 1 to 2 inches deep, with the pointy ends up, and space them 5 to 6 inches apart.
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Mulching: Cover the planting area with a layer of mulch, such as straw or chopped leaves. This will protect the garlic from repeated freezing and thawing during the winter. Remove most of the mulch when you see green shoots emerging in the spring, but leave a thin layer if the weather is still chilly.
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Fertilizing: Fertilize the garlic when you see strong growth in early spring, and again about a month later. Use a balanced fertilizer that is low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus and potassium.
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Watering: Water the garlic when the top inch of soil is dry. Avoid overwatering, as this can lead to rot. Stop watering when the cloves are developing, usually around mid-June in most climates.
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Weeding: Keep the garlic bed free of weeds, as they can compete with the garlic for moisture and nutrients.
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Harvesting: Harvest the garlic in the summer when most of the leaves begin to turn brown and droop. Gently dig up the bulbs and allow them to dry in a cool, well-ventilated area for a few weeks before storing.
Purple Stripe Garlic Varieties
There are many different varieties of Purple Stripe garlic, each with its own unique characteristics:
- Belarus: Deep, reddish-purple garlic with a strong flavor.
- Persian Star: White wrappers with purple streaks and a full, mellow, mildly spicy flavor.
- Metechi: A very hot, heirloom variety. The outer covering is white, getting progressively deeper purple as the wrapper is removed. Matures later and stores well.
- Celeste: A tall, willowy plant that produces garlic with a warm, rich flavor. Inner bulb wrappers are nearly solid purple.
- Siberian: A rich, mild variety.
- Russian Giant Marble: Large cloves with a mild flavor.
- Purple Glazer: A tall plant with deep green leaves showing a tinge of blue in sunlight. Wrappers are solid white inside but nearly purple inside.
- Chesnok Red: Large, attractive garlic consisting of white cloves with reddish-purple stripes. Retains its full flavor when cooked.
- Bogatyr: Huge, very hot garlic with a long storage life. The outer skin is white, turning brownish-purple closer to the cloves.
Tips for Growing Purple Stripe Garlic
- Choose a planting site with well-drained soil that receives full sun.
- Rotate your garlic crop each year to prevent disease.
- Plant garlic cloves in the fall, about four to six weeks before the ground freezes.
- Mulch the garlic bed to protect the cloves from freezing and thawing.
- Fertilize the garlic in early spring and again about a month later.
- Water the garlic when the top inch of soil is dry.
- Weed the garlic bed regularly.
- Harvest the garlic in the summer when most of the leaves begin to turn brown and droop.
