True Garlic Seeds for 2019
Garlicana offered true seeds in 2018. There are still freezer stored seeds available from what was collected from the 2017 season. As of the beginning of January 2019, i have not yet cleaned the seeds from the 2018 season. This page will be updated when that happens. Last year overall average germination was 20% here. In the end around 450 seedlings were transplanted. Many of the resulting plants were weak or vigorous mutants. Most of them never senesced and will mature in 2019. It cannot be understated how experimental this process remains. There’s been a lot of inquiry from those who wish to grow out garlic like they would onions from seed or develop locally adapted varieties. The former is just not realistic and the latter occurs from selection of resultant progeny over successive generations. Either way, TGS is a multi-year and often labor intensive process requiring patience and perseverance. Like any breeding project it can be both discouraging and very rewarding, though always an experience of learning.
That being said, there’s still a limited amount of seed available from two of the second generation progeny of Krasnodar White, as well as from the first gen progeny of a variety collected from the wild in Central Asia. There was no attempt to isolate anything so some outcrossing is likely.
True Garlic Seed has a low germination rate. With each generation germ rate improves but expect as low as 10% and as high as 40%. Seeds require vernalization. We soak seeds in a 1% bleach solution followed by a rinse and a month under refrigeration before seeding into flats or plugs. Germination is inconsistent and can occur from a few days, a few weeks and even a couple months. It is recommended to read this article before endeavoring on this. TGS is not a commercially viable means of propagating garlic. It is experimental and offers the possibility of introducing variation into a gene-pool limited by millennia of asexual propagation, of obtaining virus free stock, potentials for disease resistance, of combining traits that cross groups or defy categorization, in short, creating something new.
We come up with names for garlic clones when offered for sale but prior to that Ted Meredith came up with a naming convention used to track seeds/progeny. So if the following names make no sense, it may be worth looking at this. The generation of the actual seeds is listed here, so the named variety is the previous one.
Seeds should be vernalized immediately upon arrival.
Prices are $15 for .18g+ or approximately 100 seeds. Shipping is $8 for USPS priority mail or $3.50 for 1st class mail. Garlicana is not set up for the phytosanitary inspection required for international shipping.
A note on quantities. I have repeatedly counted and weighed 100 seeds. It varies between .16g. and .19g. thus the approximation. With some of these i’ll pack up to .2g.
Lastly, feedback is welcome. This remains very experimental and up until now the seeds were coveted. The seeds you receive are a culmination of years of work and i’m interested to know how these babies do for you.
S15 W6 27977 A #s 2, 4, & 6 (out of 15 accessions). The seed for these are 2nd generation. The 77As have been the most prolific seed producers, surpassing even Chimyan. 2 and 6 are available in 200 seed quantities for $25.
The following three are Krasnodar White progeny and the seed is 3rd generation.
S10 K1 S13/14 A: the tallest of the K1 progeny with small umbels yet easily removable bulbils. (2 packs left)
S10 K3 (Arsia) S14/15 B: Arsia was the most stable of the 1st gen. Krasnodar White progeny. It’s progeny have been diverse with “B” featuring shorter plants and a clove configuration more resembling a Rocambole than a Porcelain. Who knows what the 3rd gen progeny will bring. (1 pack left)