How to Plant, Grow, and Care for German White Stiffneck Garlic

‘German White Stiffneck’ hardneck garlic is a favorite variety for its large cloves with robust, true garlic flavor. High-yielding and low-maintenance, ‘German White’ produces large bulbs with big, juicy, easy-to-peel cloves.

The near-perfect heads are among the most reliable in growing and producing. The cloves are a delicacy with a slow heat, not too intense or spicy but bold and lasting. They’re ideal for dishes when garlic is the star of the show.

What is It?

‘German Stiffneck’ has a few synonyms: ‘German Extra Hardy,’ ‘German White,’ and ‘Northern White.’ They all convey the stout, durable nature of this cool-weather-loving hardneck cultivar. This is a porcelain type of garlic with thick, white, papery skins.

‘German White’ grows across most areas but is best in cold and moderate climates with cold winters and cool springtime temperatures. Plants produce the largest cloves in cool climates but tolerate warm zones in the right conditions.

Hardneck garlic has a strong central stalk surrounded by a ring of large cloves. It boasts superior cold hardiness, classic flavor, and easy-peeling cloves. In spring and summer, it produces long, curly false flower scapes. The scapes are delicious and have a mild garlic flavor. Clip them fresh to stir-fry and flavor dishes as you would scallions and leeks.

This easy-care garlic has few problems or maintenance needs. In the fall, start with high-quality organic, disease-free “seed” garlic for a summer harvest of large, silvery-white, papery heads.

Characteristics

‘German Stiffneck’ bulbs grow two inches or more and hold four to seven big, juicy cloves. Outer papers are white, and each clove has red-striped wrappers. Wrappers and streaking are deeper red in colder climates.

The large heads have oversized cloves with wrappers that peel off easily. The cloves’ high sugar content makes them perfect for roasting, with sweet and nutty flavors. Post-harvest, ‘German White’ stores for up to six months after curing.

‘German Hardy’ is especially cold-tolerant. It enjoys long winters and withstands snowpack and frost heaving. 

As a hardneck variety, plants produce scapes that emerge in spring and, left on the plant, develop bulbils. Bulbils are small cloves that produce new heads when planted. For proper bulb formation, remove the scapes and enjoy them grilled or roasted.

Native Area

Hardneck garlic appears throughout history for thousands of years with both culinary and medicinal uses. With likely beginnings from wild species in Central Asia, farmers and traders dispersed the crop throughout southern Europe and beyond.

‘German White’ is originally from Germany (thought to be Nothern Germany). A New York organic farmer cultivated the selection and it took off as a durable, high-performing crop.

Hardneck garlic flourishes after a winter chill period. Garlic joins onions, chives, shallots, and leeks as members of the Amaryllidaceae and subfamily Allioideae.

Planting

It’s best to plant garlic before your anticipated first frost date in the fall. Planting anywhere from four to six weeks before frost allows roots to develop before freezing temperatures. Planting too early promotes fuller, leafier upper growth that is susceptible to winter damage. 

With ideal timing, new growth will emerge just before a deep freeze. In more northern climates, this is usually from September through October. In warm growing zones, opt for your coldest winter months to plant.

Bulbs enter winter dormancy for a necessary chill period or vernalization. Vernalization is essential for rooting and whole bulbs to develop segments (cloves). Hardneck varieties need one to two months of chill below 40°F (4°C) for healthy growth. To grow ‘German White Stiffneck’ garlic in southern zones, chill bulbs in the refrigerator for about 40 days before planting.

‘German White’ garlic is ready in mid-summer, about 250-270 days from planting. You can also plant in spring and harvest about 90 days later, though bulbs will be smaller. They’ll need the vernalization period from refrigeration for one to two months before planting.

Cloves and Bulbils

Plant either cloves, bulbils, or both. Cloves are the easiest and fastest way to get whole bulbs in a single growing season. Bulbils appear on scapes and take longer to develop, but they produce a multitude of bulbs over time.

Planting cloves is straightforward. Crack individual cloves from the whole, leaving the wrappers around each one. The papery layers offer protection against pests and diseases. Plant the largest cloves, and use the little central ones for eating or planting in a cluster.

Tuck the cloves thumb-deep into the soil (two inches), with the pointy stem end upright and the flat base downward. Space the cloves a palm’s or hand’s length, about four to six inches apart. Cover with soil and water deeply.

Bulbils are little cloves that develop from scapes. When planted, they take two years to mature into whole bulbs. To multiply your crop, let a few bulbs form scapes and bulbils. Plant the bulbils one and a half inches deep. They’ll enlarge into full cloves their first growing year and into whole bulbs the second or third.

Only allow a garlic head to retain scapes and produce bulbils if you don’t plan on harvesting it for eating. Once the plant directs all its energy to seed, cloves aren’t viable, and the central stem is woody throughout.

How to Grow

‘German White’ garlic is an easy-to-grow crop. It takes time to develop but needs little care along the way. With the proper foundation, bed preparation, and supplemental water, it requires little else for a bountiful harvest.

Light

Position ‘German White’ garlic in six to eight hours of full sunlight daily. This crop tolerates partial shade, but full sun for most of the day ensures the best vigor.

Water

Plantings may need supplemental water depending on seasonal conditions and growth stage. Newly planted cloves and bulbils need consistent moisture to develop roots. Autumn rainfall may be sufficient, but supplemental irrigation during warm or dry spells helps.

When temperatures turn chilly, and cloves enter winter dormancy, avoid irrigation. They aren’t actively growing, and extra water leads to rot and other fungal problems. 

Revisit watering as new growth emerges in spring. One inch of rainfall or irrigation per week is usually sufficient.

Reduce watering one to two weeks before harvesting. Holding back on water encourages large bulbs, prevents rot, and reduces paper staining.

Soil

Bulbs thrive in organically rich, well-drained soils. Light, fertile loams with natural air pockets are best. An optimal pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is ideal.

Add compost to increase organic richness, and apply it generously for poor soils like clay and sand. Compost improves aeration, moisture retention, drainage, and nutrition. In compact or poorly drained soils, bulbs may develop disease in oversaturated situations or become misshapen in drought conditions.

Temperature and Humidity

‘German White’ garlic benefits from a long root system that supports the bulbs through fluctuating conditions. The anchoring roots resist heaving soils in freezing winter conditions, making the variety extremely cold-hardy.

While it grows best in cool climates, this variety will perform in warm conditions if early summer heat or drought stress aren’t problems. Bulbs will be smaller in southern climates, and softneck garlic is more reliable than hardneck for regions with mild winters.

In any growing zone, provide good air circulation to prevent humid, damp settings. Damp situations lead to fungal issues and weaker plants.

Fertilizing

In nutrient-rich soils, garlic needs little, if any, additional fertilizer. To give cloves a nutritive jumpstart or in poor soils, apply a balanced organic fertilizer at planting. When seedlings emerge in spring and grow to four to six inches, consider a boost like fish emulsion to spur growth.

Maintenance

At planting, apply a two-to-four-inch layer of mulch to insulate new plantings and suppress weeds. Clean, weed-free straw or leaf clippings help regulate soil temperatures and retain moisture. 

Fluff the mulch layer in the spring to loosen it for new shoots. In frigid climates, pull back the mulch after the final spring frost. Lightening the layer allows sunlight to warm soils and roots more easily. Replace or freshen mulch after new growth emerges.

Weeding is part of regular maintenance, so volunteers don’t overrun the garlic crop. Weed regularly to reduce competition for nutrients, water, and sunlight and maintain airflow.

Remove scapes in spring and early summer from hardneck bulbs that you want to harvest. Scape removal directs energy channels into bulb growth rather than seeding.

Harvesting and Storage

You’ll know heads are ready to harvest when upper leaves begin to yellow and flop over. Lower leaves will brown and dry. Lift the bulbs with a fork or shovel. Brush away dirt and prepare to cure them, keeping the stems and roots intact.

To cure, hang bundles by the stem in a warm, shaded, dry spot. Let them dry for two to three weeks (longer in cool or damp environments). Bulbs are ready to store when they have dry stems and flaky parchment skins.

After the curing period, cut the stem at one inch above the bulb. Trim away the roots. ‘German Stiffneck’ stores for six months.

Propagation

This hardy variety propagates easily through division and also through bulbils. Opt for division for whole bulbs in a single growing season and bulbils for multiple heads in two years.

Division

Garlic is easy to plant and just as simple to propagate. After harvesting in the summer, retain the biggest cloves to save for fall planting. Follow regular planting guidelines. The harvested cloves become the new seed garlic and are already well-adapted to your garden’s growing conditions.

Bulbils

Plant bulbils from scapes in their own row or bed to develop over two to three growing seasons. Lift them for planting with other cloves after one year at the single clove stage. Or leave them be, and after two years, they’ll be ready-to-eat bulbs.

While bulbils take longer to develop than cloves, they are an easy way to produce a multitude of cloves. Care for them as you would newly planted cloves.

Common Problems

This sulfurous allium is a natural deterrent to many pests. Thrips may be occasional visitors, and fungal diseases like bulb rot are sometimes a problem. The best prevention is ensuring proper cultural conditions through even watering and healthy soils.

Pests

Early detection is the best way to control insects. Allium leaf miners are insects that feed on tissues and sap in leaves and stems and make their way to the bulb. They cause plant weakness and decline and invite fungal infections, like rot.

The pest leaves trails of little white dots in a line along leaf surfaces as they feed. Adult females are small flies that lay eggs beneath the leaf surface. The larvae feed on tissue and sap as they mine leaves.

If you notice signs of the insect, remove leaves. Fortunately, the foliage fades after bulb development, limiting the habitat for leaf miners.

Thrips are a widespread sap-sucking pest. They’re tiny, slender insects with long, narrow bodies. Adults have fringed wings, and their color ranges from translucent white to yellow, brown, and black. 

The insects feed on flower and foliar tissues. Leaves may appear silvery and stippled or brown and papery. Thrips don’t often damage garlic quality, and not all thrips damage plants. Some feed on aphids and mites as natural pest control. 

If you see thrips but no indicators on the plant, hold off on treatment. Treatment is in order if damage accompanies the insect or you see damage alone. It’s easy to control thrips early on and with regular scouting. A simple horticultural soap or neem oil treats both thrips and leaf miner infestations.

Bulb mites can cause rot of ‘German White’ garlic bulbs due to their feeding on them. The best way to control them, and in turn bulb rot is to purchase garlic seed from reputable sellers. Ensuring you have the best quality, disease and pest-free seed is your best bet here. 

Diseases

As with pests, the best disease control is prevention through cultural conditions. Common fungal diseases may be an issue with water fluctuations or warm, humid conditions.

Bulb rot occurs in overly wet soils and periods of prolonged saturation and in seed garlic infected with bulb mites. The bacteria from these conditions cause the bulbs and plant material to become mushy. While there’s no reversing bulb rot once it sets in, improved drainage and cultural conditions can help other bulbs. Remove the impacted bulbs and plants from the bed or planter.

Rust is another common fungal disease most prevalent in hot and humid climates. Sections of the leaves may show rust-colored powdery spores on their undersides. They’ll yellow, wilt, and flop. 

Cut off the infected leaves and other plant parts if you see rust. Rust spreads readily, so discard the infected plant parts away from garden areas. Keep your garlic properly spaced from other plants and rotate your allium crops to prevent rust. 

Horticultural oils like neem and preventative fungicides can treat fungal diseases early on. Removal is the best option for any severely impacted garden plants in decline.

Frequently Asked Questions