Persian Star Garlic (Hardneck)

Persian Star is a hardneck garlic in the Purple Stripe group, and it is one of the most reliable varieties you can plant. Each bulb holds 9 to 12 medium to large cloves that peel easily from their papery skins.

The outer wrapper is thin and close to pure white. Peel it back and you find reddish-purple streaks running up from the root end and spreading across the clove skins. The cloves themselves are pointed with red tips and marbled markings on a whitish or yellow-brown background. That pointed clove pattern is where the name comes from. The striping gives it strong shelf appeal at farmers markets.

This variety performs well across most of the United States, in both northern and southern states. It is very winter hardy, but it does best in temperate areas with steady moisture and fertile soil. Mulch matters here, since it keeps the soil from drying out. Persian Star is mid-season, and it produces a crop of scapes in early summer that you can harvest and cook. Persian Star stores 6 to 7 months, which carries most growers into early spring.