Garlic Growing in Ottawa City Ontario

Ottawa City, Ontario, Canada

August 3, 2020 

I have been collecting garlic seeds for a while now, i'd say in the past 5 years. Karen of Black Star Urban Farm has been my partner -in-planting for these garlics. Together, we collect seed varieties and  its kind of fun hobby for us. 

I have planted Music and Portugal Azores as my main crop for the garden plots. I did commercial production trials here and there and marketed my garlic here in Ottawa, locally to friends and garden enthusiast. 

This year, I bought more garlic for my collection - bulbils from Jordan of Bird and Bee Seed Company. 

1. Khabar
2. Persian Star
3. Kotsyns Red Russian
4. Killarney Red
5. Purple Korean Rocambole

For those of you who wanted a quick summary of Garlic: 

Originally from Central Asia, it has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for over 5,000 years. Gladiators ate garlic prior to battle and Egyptian slaves purportedly consumed it to give them strength to build the pyramids.

Garlic is one of 700 species in the Allium or onion family.

Two types of  garlic: 

Softneck (Allium sativum)

Softneck Varieties

1. Artichoke

2. Silverskin

 Hardneck (Allium ophioscorodon)

Varieties of Hardneck Garlic
1. Chesnok Red

2. German White

3. Polish Hardneck

4. Persian Star

5. Purple Stripe - 

5a. Persian Star - a beautiful garlic comes from the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan. 

6. Porcelain - 

a. Music ( imported by Al Music from Italy)

b. Big Boy - looks like Music with purple colouring, sweet consistent flavour)

7. Asiatic