All varieties
Rocambole garlic
The easiest to peel.
Good for fast peeling, roasting whole heads, raw heat and most plants per pound of seed.
By winter
- Frozen hard for weeks. Made for hard winters. Wants soil that drains well.
- Frost, then thaw, repeatedly. Grows here, but does best where the ground freezes hard.
- Rare or brief frost. Not a good fit. Try Artichoke, Silverskin or Creole.
At a glance
- Neck
- Hardneck
- Keeps
- 4 to 6 months
- Cloves per bulb
- 6 to 11, large
- Flavor
- Deep and full bodied, sweeter and less sulfurous than most.
- Peeling
- The easiest of any garlic. The skins sit loose.
- Braiding
- No
- Harvest
- Late
- Seed per pound
- About 60 plants per pound of seed.
Varieties to order
Killarney Red
Hardneck · Keeps 3 to 4 months
Order from Filaree Keene Hood River
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
Rocambole (Keene)
Rocambole (Hood River) - Neck
- hard (Keene)
hard (Hood River) - Cloves per bulb
- 8 to 9 (Keene)
averages 9 (Hood River) - Per pound
- 55 to 80 cloves/lb (Keene)
50 to 60 plants per lb (Hood River) - Keeps
- 3 to 4 months (Hood River)
- Flavor
- Classic rich, sweet but hot (Keene)
Strong and nutty (Hood River) - Climate
- Adapts to wet conditions better than most garlics (Keene)
Withstands wetter climates in well drained soil (Hood River)
German Red
Hardneck · Keeps 6 months · Mid harvest
Order from Filaree Keene
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
Rocambole (Keene) - Neck
- hard (Filaree)
hard (Keene) - Cloves per bulb
- 8 to 10 (Filaree)
8 to 10 (Keene) - Per pound
- 5 to 7 bulbs/lb (Filaree)
6 to 8 bulbs/lb, 60 to 80 cloves/lb (Keene) - Keeps
- 6 months (Filaree)
- Flavor
- Hot, Rich (Filaree)
Strong, medium-hot, good roasted, sauteed or raw (Keene) - Climate
- Cold winters (Filaree)
Northern States (Keene) - Harvest
- Mid (Filaree)
Spanish Roja
Hardneck · Keeps 4 to 6 months · Mid harvest
Order from Filaree Hood River
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
Rocambole (Hood River) - Neck
- hard (Filaree)
hard (Hood River) - Cloves per bulb
- 7 to 10 (Filaree)
7 to 10 (Hood River) - Per pound
- 5 to 7 bulbs/lb (Filaree)
60 to 65 cloves/lb (Hood River) - Keeps
- 4 to 6 months (Filaree)
6 months (Hood River) - Flavor
- Rich, Hot (Filaree)
Hottest, sweet, full bodied (Hood River) - Climate
- Cold winters (Filaree)
Zones 3 to 10, suits wet winter climates (Hood River) - Harvest
- Mid (Filaree)
Mid (Hood River) - Scapes
- Yes (Hood River)
Amish Rocambole
Hardneck
Order from Keene
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Keene)
- Neck
- hard (Keene)
- Cloves per bulb
- 8 to 10 (Keene)
- Per pound
- 55 to 80 cloves/lb (Keene)
- Flavor
- Deep, full bodied, true garlic, strong, medium-hot (Keene)
- Climate
- Strong in northern climates (Keene)
- Harvest
- Harvested in July (Keene)
Carpathian Mountain
Hardneck · Keeps 4 to 6 months · Mid harvest
Order from Filaree
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
- Neck
- hard (Filaree)
- Cloves per bulb
- 7 to 10 (Filaree)
- Per pound
- 5 to 7 bulbs/lb (Filaree)
- Keeps
- 4 to 6 months (Filaree)
- Flavor
- Rich, Medium-Hot (Filaree)
- Climate
- Cold winters (Filaree)
- Harvest
- Mid (Filaree)
Pitarelli
Hardneck · Keeps 4 to 6 months · Late harvest
Order from Filaree
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
- Neck
- hard (Filaree)
- Cloves per bulb
- 7 to 10 (Filaree)
- Per pound
- 5 to 7 bulbs/lb (Filaree)
- Keeps
- 4 to 6 months (Filaree)
- Flavor
- Rich, Complex (Filaree)
- Climate
- Cold winters (Filaree)
- Harvest
- Late (Filaree)
Youghiogheny Purple
Hardneck · Keeps 4 to 6 months · Mid harvest
Order from Filaree
What each supplier says
- Group
- Rocambole (Filaree)
- Neck
- hard (Filaree)
- Cloves per bulb
- 7 to 10 (Filaree)
- Per pound
- 5 to 7 bulbs/lb (Filaree)
- Keeps
- 4 to 6 months (Filaree)
- Flavor
- Full, Rich (Filaree)
- Climate
- Cold winters (Filaree)
- Harvest
- Mid (Filaree)
What the catalogs say
The peeling group. Loose clove skins come away in one pull, which is why chefs ask for it by name. It is also the shortest keeper: Filaree notes that by the end of January most Rocamboles are dehydrating or sprouting. The scape coils into one to three tight loops, which no other garlic does. Boundary reports it is fussy about water and does not tolerate overwatering. Varieties include Spanish Roja, German Red, Killarney Red, Pitarelli.
Storage figures range from three to seven months across Cornell Small Farms, Arizona Extension and Alaska Fairbanks. Plan for four.