What Is Purple Stripe Garlic: How To Grow Garlic With Purple Stripes

What is Purple Stripe garlic? Purple Stripe garlic is an attractive type of hardneck garlic with vivid, purple stripes or blotches on the wrappers and skins. Depending on the temperature, the shade of purple may be vivid or pale. Most Purple Stripe varieties produce 8 to 12 crescent-shaped cloves per bulb.

Purple Stripe garlic is suitable for growing in nearly every climate, including those with very cold winters. However, it may struggle in hot, humid climates. Read on to learn about growing Purple Stripe garlic.

Growing Garlic with Purple Stripes

Plant garlic in the fall, about four to six weeks before the ground freezes in your area. Divide a large Purple Stripe garlic bulb into cloves. Save the plumpest bulbs for planting.

Dig 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm.) of compost, well-rotted manure, or another organic material into the soil before planting. Plant the cloves 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm.) deep, with the pointy ends up. Allow 5 or 6 inches (12.5-15 cm.) between each clove.

Cover the area with mulch, such as straw or chopped leaves, which will protect the garlic from repeated freezing and thawing during the winter. Remove most of the mulch when you see green shoots in spring, but leave a thin layer if the weather is still chilly.

Fertilize the garlic when you see strong growth in early spring, and again about a month later.

Water the garlic when the top inch (2.5 cm.) of soil is dry. Stop watering when cloves are developing, usually around mid-June in most climates.

Weed regularly; weeds draw moisture and nutrients from the bulbs.

Harvest the garlic in summer when most of the leaves begin to look brown and droopy.

Purple Stripe Garlic Varieties

• Belarus: Deep, reddish-purple garlic.
• Persian Star: White wrappers with purple streaks and a full, mellow, mildly spicy flavor.
• Metechi: A very hot, heirloom variety. The outer covering is white, getting progressively deeper purple as the wrapper is removed. Matures later and stores well.
• Celeste: A tall, willowy plant that produces garlic with a warm, rich flavor. Inner bulb wrappers are nearly solid purple.
• Siberian: A rich, mild variety.
• Russian Giant Marble: Large cloves with a mild flavor.
• Purple Glazer: A tall plant with deep green leaves showing a tinge of blue in sunlight. Wrappers are solid white inside but nearly purple inside. 
• Chesnok Red: Large, attractive garlic consisting of white cloves with reddish-purple stripes. Retains its full flavor when cooked.
• Bogatyr: Huge, very hot garlic with a long storage life. The outer skin is white, turning brownish-purple closer to the cloves.