Moghadam Marbled Purple Stripe Garlic Bulbs

Farmer Sasha Moghadam offers, "The origins of this Marbled Purple Stripe garlic variety are largely unknown. What we do know is that it was stewarded in the backyard of Iranian American gardener Jamshid Moghadam, in the Roaring Fork River Valley of Colorado, from the early 1990’s. In 2017, before his passing, Jamshid passed this variety on to his farmer son Sasha, who has been expanding on the collection for the better part of the last decade. While this Marbled Purple Stripe variety shows traits very similar to Siberian, Sasha felt it was important only to claim the lineage of that which was truly known. Thus, we have the Moghadam’s selection of an unknown Marbled Purple Stripe variety. We call it “Moghadam Marbled Purple Stripe ." Moghadam MPS is a hard neck garlic with 6-10 large, single cloves and long storage life. Robust full-bodied garlic flavor. Consistent flavor that is excellent for roasting among other uses. Grown on Joon Farm, in the White Salmon River Valley, In Washington State."

Days to maturity: Overwinter, harvest following summer

Garlic Bulbs per pack: Roughly 5 bulbs/1 lb bag

Planting / harvesting notes

When you receive your garlic, store it in a cool, dry, dark place. Do not store it in a plastic bag or anywhere that moisture would be likely to build on it. Wait to crack the bulbs into individual cloves until a day or two before planting. Plant your garlic 2-4 weeks before the ground freezes solid. Gently crack the individual cloves off of the bulbs, doing your best to leave the basil plate (roots) intact. It is not necessary or advised to peel wrapper off of the individual cloves.

Plant each clove, root end down, two inches deep. Space your cloves 6-8 inches apart in rows 6-12 inches apart. Plant your garlic into a bed rich with nitrogen (be it compost, manure, fish fertilizer, or aged chicken manure,) and agricultural lime. Garlic prefers full-sun and  rich, well drained, soil. If you live in a wet area it is advised to plant your garlic on ridges or raised beds. Garlic, especially rocambole varieties, are susceptible to “wet feet” and will do a lot better if grown high and dry.

Once your garlic is planted you can mulch it with a few inches of straw, alfalfa, or compost. Make sure not to mulch too heavy or the garlic may have a hard time growing through the mulch. Provide additional nitrogen in the early spring and water as needed ( 2-4 times a week.) 2-3 weeks before harvest, cut off the water completely and let the bulbs dry out. You want to harvest the garlic with very little moisture in the soil.

Hard neck varieties will also shoot out a flower stalk called a scape, a few weeks before the bulbs are ready to harvest. Remove the scape after it makes its first curl. Do not pull the scape, but rather cut it,  2 inches about the top leaf. Removing the scape will put more energy into the growth of the bulb and you will get a generally larger bulb this way. The scapes are also delicious to eat!

Harvest your garlic (generally in late June -late July) when you have 4-5 green leaves left on the top of the plant, and the lower 50% of the leaves are brown and completely dried down. Hang and dry the bulbs in bunches of 7-10 plants, for 3-4 weeks. Make sure they are hanging in a well ventilated area, out of the sunlight, and with no chance of rain getting on them. Once the bulbs have cured for 3-4 weeks you can trim off the roots and cut the necks to 1/2 inch above the tope of the bulb. Store the bulbs in vented crates or baskets, ideally 55-65 degrees and 45%-60% humidity.

Seed keeping notes

Once harvested and cured, select large, appealing, firm garlic bulbs to save for seed garlic. Avoid damaged bulbs, blemishes, mold or discoloring. Replant garlic cloves in late Autumn to overwinter for following year!