Seed Garlic for Farms & Gardens
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Great Northern
Porcelain
Allium Sativum Ophioscorodon
Personality Profile:
The name must have been selected by a native of the far north, someone who experienced this cultivar's outstanding tolerance of cold and harsh climates. We find Great Northern to be the John Wayne of our Porcelain lineup; honest, tall, a hero with a soft spot for others in need of warmth. Reliable and consistent, we're expanding our stock of Great Northern and hope to offer it in Bulk in years to come.
Great Northern - Seed Garlic & Umbels
Cloves: Averages 4-6 large cloves per bulb. While the outer wrappers are brilliant white (hence the name Porcelain) the clove skins often tend toward purple, though they can be white as well.
Bulbils: Porcelains have the smallest of all bulbils, numbering in the hundreds per umbel. Select the largest 50% and plant those if you want good results. Harvest the resultant rounds at the same time as you harvest the bulbs. Even if all the grass like top growth has whithered and blown away, the rounds are still under there, waiting like Easter eggs for you to discover them (that's a hint; kids love to harvest bulbil rounds).
Growing: A typical Porcelain cultivar with slender, regal leaves and a well curled scape. Scape removal is definitely recommended to achieve good bulbing and don't be surprised by browning of the tips early in the season. Porcelains tend to go brown in the leaf tips at the slightest indication of drought-like conditions, even while still growing strongly. Just be ready to water if necessary.
Harvest: Mid-season harvest. The wrappers are pretty sturdy on Porcelains and so the bulbs can stand waiting a bit longer before harvesting, maybe when 50 - 65% of the leaves are browning. Always dig down and inspect the bulbs to make sure they're doing well and use your own judgement. .
Storage: Porcelains are a good storing garlic. Expect 8-9 months.
Pedigree: Great Northern came to us via Boundary Farm, who got it from Al Pickets of Eureka Farm on Prince Edward Island. It was apparently one of Al's favorites.