Germidour: discover its flavour and how to grow it

Why grow Germidour?

Early autumn garlic with purple and white shades.

Choose Germidour for autumn planting and a relatively early harvest. The RHS lists it as softneck, a useful type if you also want to store garlic.

How this choice tastes

Feggies describes Germidour as mildly spicy. This gives a direction for tasting; pungency also changes with freshness, drying and preparation and is not a fixed score against other garlic cultivars.

From harvest to kitchen

Thinly slice a clove for a marinade or roast a whole bulb. The purple tint is in the wrapper; the fragrant cloves are used in the dish.

What needs attention when growing

Plant in autumn in a sunny, free-draining position. Remove weeds without damaging young roots; water at soil level during dry growth.

Check a bulb in early summer as foliage turns yellow. The season determines timing; lift carefully and dry the harvest in airy conditions before storing.

Choose by flavour, shape and use

Thermidrôme: White autumn garlic with a slight purple tint. Use cloves in dressing or let them cook with roasted vegetables. A roasted bulb provides a soft paste to mix into mashed potato.

For Thermidrôme, autumn growing is the main distinction. The garlic aroma is sharper raw and mellower after gentle frying; a ranking of pungency has not been established.

Clédor: Spring garlic with a white bulb and pink-beige cloves. Use finely chopped cloves in a soup base or cook briefly with vegetables. For a milder result, avoid frying to dark brown.

Clédor provides the spicy garlic aroma; a separate cultivar aroma has not been established. Taste a small amount of a fresh clove and compare the same preparation with your other garlic.

Flavor: Pink spring garlic for a start after winter. Try the cloves in garlic butter or let them simmer in tomato sauce. Keep a first tasting simple so freshness and preparation remain distinguishable.

The variety name Flavor does not specify an individual flavour note. Raw garlic smells pungent and becomes milder with gentle cooking; try this variety from your own garden in different ways.

Germidour: Early autumn garlic with purple and white tones. Thinly slice a clove for a marinade or roast a whole bulb. The purple tint is in the wrapper; the fragrant cloves are used in the dish.

Feggies describes Germidour as mildly spicy. This gives a direction for tasting; pungency also changes with freshness, drying and preparation and is not a fixed score against other garlic cultivars.

Choose planting stock suited to the season

A supermarket bulb tells you little about health or suitability for your garden. Buy identifiable planting stock and check the recommended planting period. Hardneck types can produce a flower stalk; softneck types grow differently. Elephant garlic looks similar but is botanically related to leek. Keep the label with the row.

A cold period helps bulb formation

Much garlic needs a cold period to form several cloves. Autumn planting provides that naturally; some types also suit early spring. The American calendar is not a Dutch planting calendar. Let cultivar choice and the workability of your soil determine when you start.

Give roots air and drainage

Garlic likes sun and soil that lets water through. In a wet spot, you can choose a raised bed or grow in a deep container. Aim for a settled, crumbly structure and remove competing weeds. A clove in a constantly wet planting hole gets a poor start.

Plant the clove with its tip upwards

Carefully separate the cloves and retain their protective skin. Set the flat base down and the tip up; RHS specifies about 2.5 cm of soil above the tip. Do not plant them touching. In very wet winter soil, modules under unheated cover are an alternative, followed by planting out in spring.

Monitor moisture, growth and any flower stalk

Water during drought while the leaves are actively growing. Remove weeds shallowly without hoeing close to the roots. On hardneck garlic, you can remove the young flower stalk and use it in the kitchen. Record that you have done so, allowing you to compare your harvest and method later.

Investigate a wilted or yellow row

A few yellowing leaves towards harvest are normal. A whole row declining early calls for a check of moisture, roots and bulb bases. Do not replant suspect stock. Rotate onion, leek and garlic between seasons and avoid damage during weeding; this gives the next crop a cleaner start.

Dig up a test bulb before lifting everything

Do not wait until all the foliage has gone. When lower leaves turn brown while the top is still green, inspect a test bulb. Loosen the soil with a fork and pull gently. Keep the skin intact. An undamaged bulb is easier to dry and store than one with puncture damage.

Let the harvest finish drying under cover

Lay or hang the bulbs with good airflow in a dry, sheltered place. Drying generally takes a few weeks; assess the neck and outer skin too. Then remove dry roots and foliage where appropriate. Use damaged bulbs first and check stored bulbs regularly. Flavour and storage behaviour depend on the type and your drying conditions.