Australian Garlic
Celebrating and understanding our garlic groups and cultivars
Shandong
Hardneck - Weakly Bolting
This cultivar falls into the Artichoke Group, Type 2 and shares its evolution with others in this sub-group from Formosan to Taiwanese and Taiwanese Purple. Long time grower Roger Schmitke selected bulbs from this heritage that produced larger bulbs and cloves then other cultivars grown in the 80s and 90s. These went to Queensland’s Gatton Research Station and over a 6 year period they were grown and selected and replanted, selecting only the biggest and best bulbs and cloves. In 1997 Southern Glen named and released.  See the Production of Garlic here
This day-length neutral cultivar is a very important cultivar for growers in warmer more northern regions.
General Information
International name/s: None known
Flavour: The flavour is simple and hot when raw but sweeter when cooked.
Storage: Short to medium
Growing location: Shandong grow well in most states from Tasmania to Northern NSW and inland Southern Qld. Also Victoria, SA and Southern WA.
Growing requirements: They like reasonably cold winters and hot dry summers. Plants will go quickly from being almost ready to past the best time to harvest. Watch them and harvest quickly when ready.
Planting and harvest: Early planting and early harvest.
Bulb
Shape: Medium to about 6cm with a flat to convex base. Globe shaped to flattened globe.
Skin colour and texture: White to pale mauve skins, strongly purple striped and blotched. Thin texture that flakes easily.
Clove
Number and layout: 6-10 cloves usually in two layers with only 2 or 3, if any, in the centre.
Size and shape: Blocky but rounded inner-angle inner-surface cloves with blunt tips. 2.2 cm tall by 1.5 cm wide.
Skin colour and texture: Strong pink to purple, glossy with purple streaks. Fine skin that is fairly easy to peel.
Plant
Size and shape: Medium plant with leaves more closely spaced than some others.
Leaves: Broad leaves folded in the centre, more yellow-green than blue-green.
Young plants: Fast growing with lower leaves at a wide angle to the stem.
Matures: Plants mature rapidly when just before harvest.
Scape: The scape is thick and forms an upside-down U.
Umbel and beak: The umbel is turban shaped with a beak that is longer than most Turbans.
Bulbils and flowers: Fewer bulbils than some Turbans with 15-30 pink, triangular small to medium, 5x3 mm. No flowers.
Artichoke Group
Silverskin Group
Subtropical Group
Asiatic Group
Creole Group
Middle Eastern Group
Turban Group
- Flinders Island Purple
- Glamour
- Italian Purple
- Monaro Purple
- Ontos Purple
- Shandong
- Tasmanian Purple
- White Crookneck
- Xian