Description
Donostia Red is one of the rarest garlic varieties available in North America — a gourmet Creole hardneck from the Basque region of Spain with bold, spicy flavor, stunning magenta-streaked cloves, and a cold tolerance that makes it the hardneck answer for southern and mild-climate growers. Multiple major seed operations cap or sell out of Donostia every season. We have 150 lbs available for 2026.
Why Donostia Is Hard to Find
Creole garlic as a type is far less common in North American seed stock than Porcelain or Rocambole varieties. Donostia specifically is rare enough that even the largest U.S. garlic operations limit how much any single customer can order. It sells out early, and farms that don't grow their own rarely have it at all.
2026 Harvest Results
This was Donostia's first season on our farm. We planted some of the smallest cloves available — seed stock that by conventional standards would not be worth the bed space. The bulbs we harvested had doubled in size compared to what we procured the prior fall. Tight wrappers across the board. Every clove produced.
Donostia took hardneck grand champion in our 2026 harvest. For a first-year planting started from inferior seed stock, the return on investment was unlike anything we have seen from a new variety. It joins Music as a farm favorite going into next season.
The Hardneck for Growers Who Were Told They Couldn't Grow Hardneck
Most hardneck garlic needs a sustained cold period to vernalize. In zones 6 through 9, winters are too mild for most hardneck varieties. Donostia Red Creole is different. Creole garlic evolved in warm climates and tolerates mild winters far better than Porcelain, Rocambole, or Purple Stripe types. It performs well in zones 5 to 9, with particular strength in zones 6 to 9.
Flavor and Kitchen Use
Sharp, assertive heat when raw that mellows into rich, full-bodied flavor with cooking. The deep purple-red skin and wine-red streaking on the cloves make it one of the most visually striking varieties available. Prized by gourmet cooks for its combination of looks, heat, and long storage.
Storage
Stores 9 to 10 months under proper conditions in a cool, dry space with good air circulation. Among the longest-storing hardneck varieties available.
Growing
Plant in fall, 2 to 3 inches deep, 6 inches apart. Mulch well after planting. Remove the scape in late spring when it completes its first full curl. Harvest mid to late July when the lower 3 to 4 leaves have dried. New to growing garlic? See our complete growing guide for step-by-step planting instructions.
When Your Order Arrives
Remove the garlic from the shipping box as soon as it arrives. Store in a dry, open-air location with good airflow. Do not leave it sealed in the box.
If you are in a warm-winter region (zones 8 and warmer), refrigerate your seed garlic for 6 to 8 weeks at 35 to 40 degrees F before planting. See our vernalization guide for full instructions.
Package Sizes
Donostia Red runs about 56 cloves (roughly 7 bulbs) per pound. Approximate counts by size:
- 1/4 lb: ~14 cloves (~1.7 bulbs)
- 1/2 lb: ~28 cloves (~3.5 bulbs)
- 1 lb: ~56 cloves (~7 bulbs)
- 2 lb: ~112 cloves (~14 bulbs)
- 5 lb: ~280 cloves (~35 bulbs)
How We Grow
Our farm is an ODA inspected and licensed nursery, inspected annually during the spring growth season. We use OMRI-listed organic inputs and practice crop rotation every season. No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Grown in Coburg, Oregon's Willamette Valley.
Also available as part of the Bold Flavors Duo with Music, and the Southern Growers Duo with Inchelium Red.
Shipping now. Order now to lock in your favorite varieties — several are already low in stock or sold out for the season and won't be restocked until next year. Orders ship within about a week of purchase, so there's no advantage to waiting. If your planting date is later and you'd like your order timed accordingly, just add a note at checkout and we will do our best to accommodate. Free shipping on orders $60+.
