Key takeaways
- Softneck garlic keeps longest and is easy to plait. Solent Wight is a reliable choice
- Hardneck garlic has fewer, bigger cloves, stronger flavour and edible scapes, but keeps for less time
- Early Purple Wight is ready first, in early summer, so eat it fresh
- Plant most garlic in October or November. It needs a spell of winter cold to split into cloves
- Buy certified seed garlic rather than planting supermarket bulbs
The best garlic varieties for UK gardens are Solent Wight for keeping, Lautrec Wight for flavour, and Early Purple Wight for an early crop. Grow one softneck and one hardneck and you’ll have fresh garlic in summer and stored bulbs well into the next year.
This guide helps you choose which garlic to buy. For planting dates and step-by-step growing, see our guides on when to plant garlic and how to grow garlic.
Hardneck or softneck garlic: which should you grow?
Every garlic falls into one of two groups. Choose softneck for keeping and hardneck for flavour.
Softneck garlic has a soft, floppy stem and no flower stalk. Each bulb holds lots of smaller cloves in layers. It keeps for months in a cool, dry place, and the soft stems are easy to plait. Most supermarket garlic is softneck.
Hardneck garlic has a stiff central stem. In early summer it sends up a curly flower stalk called a scape. Snap scapes off to help the bulb swell, then eat them, as they taste like mild garlic. Hardnecks have fewer, bigger cloves that are easy to peel, and their flavour is usually stronger. They don’t keep as long, so use them first.
Hardneck garlic (left) has stiff stems and fewer, bigger cloves. Softneck garlic (right) has soft stems you can plait and keeps far longer.
The best garlic varieties for UK gardens
Solent Wight (softneck): best all-rounder
Solent Wight is a popular, reliable softneck from the Isle of Wight. It gives firm white bulbs that keep well into the following spring. If you only grow one garlic, make it this one.
Messidrome (softneck): best for plaiting
Messidrome is a French softneck with long, flexible stems that are easy to plait. The flavour is mild and balanced, and it keeps well.
Picardy Wight (softneck): good keeper
Picardy Wight is another French softneck. It gives good-sized white bulbs with a mild flavour and stores well.
Cristo (softneck): easy and dependable
Cristo is a reliable softneck that gives good-sized bulbs. It’s a sound choice for beginners.
Lautrec Wight (hardneck): best for flavour
Lautrec Wight has pretty pink-skinned cloves and a strong, rich flavour that cooks love. For a hardneck it keeps fairly well.
Pink-skinned hardneck cloves like these are big, easy to peel and full of flavour.
Purple Moldovan (hardneck): best for cold gardens
Purple Moldovan is a very hardy hardneck with purple-striped bulbs and a few big, punchy cloves. It’s a good pick for cold, exposed plots in the north and Scotland.
Early Purple Wight: earliest harvest
Early Purple Wight is ready in late May or June, weeks before most other garlic. It fills the gap when last year’s stored bulbs run out. It doesn’t keep for long, so enjoy it fresh in early summer.
Early varieties are ready in late May or June, just as last year’s stored garlic runs out.
Spring-planting garlic
Missed the autumn window? Some suppliers sell varieties chosen for planting in late winter or early spring, such as Sprint. Bulbs will be smaller than autumn-planted garlic, but it’s a useful backup.
Elephant garlic
Elephant garlic is really a close relative of the leek. It forms huge bulbs with a few very large, mild cloves that are wonderful roasted whole. Plant cloves about 20cm apart in autumn.
Garlic variety comparison table
| Variety | Type | Flavour | Keeps | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solent Wight | Softneck | Medium | Into the following spring | All-round reliability |
| Messidrome | Softneck | Mild | Many months | Plaiting |
| Picardy Wight | Softneck | Mild | Many months | Storing |
| Cristo | Softneck | Medium | Several months | Beginners |
| Lautrec Wight | Hardneck | Strong, rich | A few months | Flavour |
| Purple Moldovan | Hardneck | Strong | A few months | Cold, exposed gardens |
| Early Purple Wight | Early | Mild | A few weeks | First fresh garlic |
| Elephant garlic | Leek relative | Very mild | A few months | Roasting whole |
How to choose the right garlic for you
- You want garlic all year: grow Solent Wight or Messidrome, and store it properly.
- You love strong flavour: add a hardneck such as Lautrec Wight or Purple Moldovan.
- You want an early crop: plant Early Purple Wight in October.
- Your garden is cold or exposed: Purple Moldovan is tough.
- You’ve missed autumn: look for a spring-planting variety and plant by March.
Garlic needs a spell of winter cold to split into cloves, so autumn planting gives the biggest bulbs. Plant cloves pointed end up, with the tips just below the surface, 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart. On heavy clay, plant into a raised bed so the cloves don’t sit wet all winter.
Most garlic goes in during October or November, pointed end up, about 15cm apart.
When is garlic ready to harvest?
| Month | Garlic job |
|---|---|
| October to November | Plant most varieties |
| February to March | Plant spring varieties |
| Late May to June | Lift Early Purple Wight. Snap off hardneck scapes |
| July | Lift most varieties when the lower leaves turn yellow |
| July to August | Dry bulbs somewhere airy, then store |
Lift bulbs gently with a fork when the lower leaves have yellowed but the top ones are still green. Dry them for a couple of weeks somewhere airy and out of the rain, then store them somewhere cool and dry. Our guide to storing onions, garlic and shallots covers drying and plaiting.
Hang garlic somewhere airy and out of the rain for a couple of weeks until the skins feel papery.
Common mistakes when choosing garlic
- Planting supermarket bulbs. They may carry disease and might not suit our climate. Buy certified seed garlic.
- Planting too late. Without enough cold, garlic can form one round bulb instead of cloves.
- Expecting hardnecks to keep all year. Eat them first and store your softnecks.
- Growing alliums in the same bed every year. Garlic, onions and leeks share diseases. Move them to a new bed each year.
- Ignoring white rot. If allium white rot has been in a bed, it can stay in the soil for many years. Grow garlic elsewhere.
For a milder bulb that’s grown the same way, read our guide on how to grow shallots, or find more crops to try in the growing veg hub.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best garlic to grow in the UK?
Solent Wight is a reliable all-rounder for UK gardens. It’s a softneck that keeps well into the following spring. For stronger flavour, grow a hardneck such as Lautrec Wight alongside it. For the earliest fresh bulbs, add Early Purple Wight.
When should I plant garlic in the UK?
Plant in October or November for the biggest bulbs. Garlic needs a spell of winter cold to split into separate cloves. If you miss autumn, plant a variety sold for spring planting in February or March, and expect smaller bulbs.
What is the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic?
Hardneck garlic has a stiff central stem; softneck garlic has a soft, floppy one. Hardnecks have fewer, bigger cloves, stronger flavour and edible flower stems called scapes, but don’t keep as long. Softnecks have more cloves, keep for months and can be plaited.
Can I plant supermarket garlic in the UK?
It’s best not to. Supermarket garlic may carry disease and may not suit the British climate, so it can fail to form good bulbs. Certified seed garlic from a garden supplier is healthier and more reliable.
Which garlic stores the longest?
Softneck varieties keep the longest. Solent Wight, Messidrome and Picardy Wight store well into the following spring if dried properly. Hardnecks such as Lautrec Wight keep for a few months, and Early Purple Wight is best eaten fresh.
What is elephant garlic and is it worth growing?
Elephant garlic is a close relative of the leek, not true garlic. It forms huge bulbs with a few very large, mild cloves. It’s lovely roasted whole, but it won’t replace ordinary garlic in your cooking. Plant cloves about 20cm apart in autumn.
Why did my garlic not split into cloves?
Usually because it didn’t get enough cold. Late spring planting or a mild winter can leave a single round bulb. Plant in autumn where you can. Waterlogged soil and supermarket bulbs can also give poor results.
Our team produces practical UK gardening guidance from source research, contributor records and established horticultural practice. Editorial standards are overseen by Matt W.
