Patience is an overrated virtue in my book. That’s why I tend to grow a lot of instant gratification crops that are ready to eat in a matter of weeks, like baby greens, radishes, cilantro, and arugula. So what did I find myself doing on Monday? Planting garlic.

It won’t be ready until June.

Garlic comes in red, purple, brown, white and silver skinned varieties. Its flavor ranges from subtle and sweet to clear-you-nose hot. Some garlic varieties are better for baking, others are well suited for roasting, stir frying, or even pickling. But the only garlic bulbs you’ll find at the grocery store are big, white, and boring. So I decided to try being patient and grow my own.

Rather than choose just one variety, I set all moderation aside and ordered six. I am growing hardneck types (the bulbs literally grow clustered around a hard, central core or “neck”) because they produce a bonus flower bud in spring called a scape. These curvaceous buds have a subtle garlic flavor and a lovely tender texture…and they are ready in April or May. Hurrah!

Here’s what I’m growing:

‘Ukranian Red’. It’s strongly flavored cloves come wrapped in brownish skins streaked with red and purple. So lovely.
‘Chesnok Red’. Known for retaining its hot flavor, even when cooked. This quality makes it a good candidate for baking. I’m already plotting to make ‘Chesnok Red’ garlic studded foccacia.
‘Musik’. Love that name. Plus, this puppy stores for up to a year. It’s truly a keeper.
‘German White’. Classic big white bulbs belie this garlic’s distinctive spicy flavor.
‘German Extra Hardy’. These cloves have an extra high sugar content, which makes them well suited for roasting.
‘Methechi’. This garlic an has intense, hot flavor. It matures late, but I’ve been assured it’s worth the wait.

I ordered garlic from my friend Dan, a garlic enthusiast turned amateur garlic entrepreneur. Before I planted the cloves, I watched the garlic planting slide show on OrganicGardening.com.