- Variety Info
- Sowing Info
- Growing Info
- Learn More
Variety Info
Days to Maturity: 250-270 days (when planted in fall)
Family: Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Alleoideae (formerly Alliaceae) Allium or Onion family, includes onions, garlic, chives, shallots, and leeks.
Type: Purple Stripe garlic
Native: Central Asia
Hardiness: Usually grown as an annual to harvest the bulbs, but can be grown as a perennial
Exposure: Full sun to part shade.
Variety Info: Hardneck variety with a purple-streaked outer wrapper on the bulb. The individual inner cloves have a red-streaked papery skin enclosing off-white garlic flesh. Robust flavor. Bulbs contain 9–10 easy-to-peel cloves. Stores for 4 to 6 months.
Sowing Info
When to Sow Outside: Garlic is planted in fall for harvest 7 to 9 months later (midsummer). In areas with cold winters, sow individual cloves from mid-September to mid-November. Garlic is frost-hardy but ideally should be planted 4 to 6 weeks before the first hard freeze to give the bulbs time to establish roots. In areas with mild winters, garlic can be planted until January.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended if you want to grow bulbs. If you don't get your garlic in the ground, the cloves can be planted indoors any time of year for the green tops that make tasty garlic-flavored raw greens or stir-fry ingredients.
Seed Depth: Plant garlic 2"–3" deep with the pointed side up.
Seed Spacing: One clove every 6"–8"
Row Spacing: 12"–18"
Thinning: Thinning is not necessary if spaced properly during planting.
Your hardiness zone is
Growing Info
Harvesting: Garlic bulbs are ready to harvest when the tops are approximately 40% yellow or brown or when the tops start to fall over. This is typically in June and July. Do not leave bulbs in the ground too long, or the skins will decay, reducing storage life. To harvest, lift the bulbs gently with a digging fork (flat tines) or a shovel, digging widely to avoid cutting into them. Gently brush off any loose soil and remove any damaged cloves, but leave the roots and shoots attached. Lay or hang the whole plant in a warm, airy location out of direct sun and protected from rain before curing. For more information, see Garlic: Harvesting, Curing, and Storage.
Special Care: After planting, apply 2"–4" of mulch (e.g., straw, untreated grass clippings, shredded leaves) to maintain moisture, insulate the cloves through the winter, and help prevent frost from pushing cloves to the surface. Loosen mulch in spring to allow shoots to push through thick or compacted mulch. In very cold climates, remove mulch after the last hard freeze to allow soil to warm more quickly. Reapply mulch after shoots emerge to maintain consistent moisture and reduce weeds. Remove weeds regularly to reduce competition for water and nutrients. In spring, hardneck garlic will produce a tall stem with a curlicue at the top and a swollen flower bud at the end. In most cases, this flower stalk, called a scape, should be removed to keep the plant's energy focused on bulb growth and to keep bulbs tight. Scapes can be eaten and have a mild garlic flavor.
- Joseph M.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars12/16/25Garlic
In the ground and growing, can’t wait to taste!
BIBotanical Interests12/16/25Hey Joseph,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with our Chesnok Red Hardneck Garlic! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that your garlic is in the ground and growing well! Chesnok Red is such an amazing variety with incredible flavor - you're going to love the taste when harvest time comes around! Thank you for choosing us and for sharing your growing success with us. Keep on growing 🌻️
- DeAnna W.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars12/15/25can't wait
all the bulbs that I planted of the hardneck are growing beautifully! I think. This is my first time to raise garlic and a gardening friend of mine told me that garlic has always been her bane here in West Texas. So, far they look great! I can't wait till they are ready to harvest!
BIBotanical Interests12/16/25Hey DeAnna,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with our Chesnok Red Hardneck Garlic! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that all your bulbs are growing beautifully - especially as a first-time garlic grower! It's so exciting that you're having such great success with them in West Texas, even when your gardening friend has struggled with garlic in the past. The Chesnok Red variety really is something special and we're confident you're going to love the harvest! There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of growing your own garlic from bulb to harvest. Thank you for choosing us and for sharing your growing success with us. Keep on growing 🌻️
- Gail B.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars12/10/25High Quality
These high quality garlic bulbs were delivered just at the right time for planting
BIBotanical Interests12/12/25Hey Gail,
We can't wait to hear about your experience with our Chesnok Red Hardneck Garlic! We're so thrilled that the bulbs arrived at just the perfect timing for your planting schedule! We're also delighted to hear that you're happy with the quality. There's nothing better than starting with high-quality, USDA Certified Organic bulbs for a successful garlic harvest. Thank you for choosing Epic Gardening and for sharing your growing success with us. Keep on growing 🌻️
- Judy S.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars12/9/25All my garlic ordered
All my garlic orders arrived in good shape and sprouts are showing in my wet Washington garden.
BIBotanical Interests12/12/25Hey Judy,
We're so thrilled to hear that all of your garlic orders arrived in great condition and that you're already seeing sprouts in your Washington garden. There's nothing more exciting than those first signs of growth! Thank you for your trust in us and for sharing your growing success! Keep on growing 🌻️
- Barb M.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars12/4/25Awesome garlic!
The quality of the garlic bulb is top notch! Will definitely buy again!
BIBotanical Interests12/7/25Hey Barb,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with our Chesnok Red Hardneck Garlic! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that the quality exceeded your expectations - there's nothing quite like getting those beautiful, plump organic bulbs that are ready to plant or use! Chesnok Red really is such a fantastic variety with that amazing flavor profile. We're so happy it's earned a spot in your garden for next time too! Thanks for sharing your excitement with us and we can't wait to help you grow more delicious garlic. Keep on growing 🌻️