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Botanical Interests

Montana Zemo Hardneck Garlic - USDA Certified Organic

Montana Zemo Hardneck Garlic - USDA Certified Organic

Regular price $12.75
Regular price Sale price $12.75
(1 Bulb)
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Product Details

Cloves per bulb: 4-7

This beautiful, vigorous porcelain type produces large, dense, white bulbs with huge, pink-wrapped cloves. When eaten raw, expect a robust, complex garlic flavor with little heat and virtually no aftertaste. Its flavor is buttery, nutty, rich, and even somewhat sweet when cooked. Developed at the base of the Mission Mountains in Northwestern Montana, it does extremely well in cold climates. Said to be developed from 'Zemo', a favorite of Cook's Illustrated in taste tests. 4–7 large cloves per bulb. Stores up to 6 months.

Due to state restrictions, we cannot ship garlic to Idaho, Hawaii, and the following counties in Washington—Adams, Benton, Franklin, Grant, and Klickitat (including cities such as Othello, Pasco, Moses Lake, Kennewick, and Richland). Please do not order garlic if you live in one of these locations.

We source our garlic from local farms, where passionate farmers hand-harvest each bulb. This commitment not only supports our community but also ensures top-notch quality and flavor in every product.

Why You'll Love It

Cold-weather growers rejoice - Montana Zemo is your garlic! This variety has an incredible flavor profile that lends itself well to virtually any cuisine. Extraordinary as a garlic aioli! As long as you mulch it well during the bitterest winter months, it will vigorously pop out of the ground in spring to produce its bulb.

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  • Variety Info
  • Sowing Info
  • Growing Info

Variety Info

Days to Maturity: 250-270 days (when planted in fall)

Family: Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Alleoideae (formerly Alliaceae) Allium or Onion family, includes onions, garlic, chives, shallots, and leeks.

Type: Porcelain garlic

Native: Central Asia

Hardiness: Usually grown as an annual to harvest the bulbs, but can be grown as a perennial

Exposure: Full sun to part shade.

Variety Info: Pearly white wrappers peel back to reveal rosy pink clove wrappers that enclose off-white, firm cloves. Robust flavor with little heat when raw; buttery, nutty flavor when cooked. Bulbs contain 4–7 large cloves. Stores 6 months.

Sowing Info

When to Sow Outside: Garlic is planted in fall for harvest 7 to 9 months later (midsummer). In areas with cold winters, sow individual cloves from mid-September to mid-November. Garlic is frost-hardy but ideally should be planted 4 to 6 weeks before the first hard freeze to give the bulbs time to establish roots. In areas with mild winters, garlic can be planted until January.

When to Start Inside: Not recommended if you want to grow bulbs. If you don't get your garlic in the ground, the cloves can be planted indoors any time of year for the green tops that make tasty garlic-flavored raw greens or stir-fry ingredients.

Seed Depth: Plant garlic 2"–3" deep with the pointed side up.

Seed Spacing: One clove every 6"–8"

Row Spacing: 12"–18"

Thinning: Thinning is not necessary if spaced properly during planting.

Growing Info

Harvesting: Garlic bulbs are ready to harvest when the tops are approximately 40% yellow or brown or when the tops start to fall over. This is typically in June and July. Do not leave bulbs in the ground too long, or the skins will decay, reducing storage life. To harvest, lift the bulbs gently with a digging fork (flat tines) or a shovel, digging widely to avoid cutting into them. Gently brush off any loose soil and remove any damaged cloves, but leave the roots and shoots attached. Lay or hang the whole plant in a warm, airy location out of direct sun and protected from rain before curing. For more information, see Garlic: Harvesting, Curing, and Storage.

Special Care: After planting, apply 2"–4" of mulch (e.g., straw, untreated grass clippings, shredded leaves) to maintain moisture, insulate the cloves through the winter, and help prevent frost from pushing cloves to the surface. Loosen mulch in spring to allow shoots to push through thick or compacted mulch. In very cold climates, remove mulch after the last hard freeze to allow soil to warm more quickly. Reapply mulch after shoots emerge to maintain consistent moisture and reduce weeds. Remove weeds regularly to reduce competition for water and nutrients. In spring, hardneck garlic will produce a tall stem with a curlicue at the top and a swollen flower bud at the end. In most cases, this flower stalk, called a scape, should be removed to keep the plant's energy focused on bulb growth and to keep bulbs tight. Scapes can be eaten and have a mild garlic flavor.