Garlic is a member of the allium
family, which includes leeks, shallots and onions. There are many varieties of
garlic, all of which fall into three general categories: Softneck, Hardneck and
Elephant. Softneck garlic is the kind you will generally find in the grocery
store. The two common types of softneck garlic are artichoke and silverskin.
Artichoke
garlic generally stores well and has a mild flavor, such as California White, Inchelium
Red, Susanville and Polish White. Nootka
Rose is a silverskin garlic with a very strong flavor. Softneck garlics have a flexible stalk which
can be braided.
Hardneck garlics also have a stalk –called a scape- which coils
at the top. If left to mature, hardnecks will produce a flower which is
actually a number of small bubils, or tiny bulbs, which are edible. Hardnecks
dry to a hard stem, hence the name. The most common Hardneck garlic is
rocambole. As a group, they have a deeper, richer flavor than softnecks do, but
they don’t store as well. Select Siberian Red for long lasting, strong flavor. Elephant
garlic is the largest garlic. It is also the mildest and sweetest. It is easy
to peel and has a long shelf life.
Garlic is typically planted in October. Start
with a good, quality bulb. Garlic purchased in grocery stores is often treated
with sprout inhibitors, disrupting the growth cycle.
Break the bulb, called
“cracking” into individual cloves.
These are the garlic “seeds”. Each clove or
seed will produce its own plant, containing 6-8 cloves per bulb.
Garlic likes sun
and well-drained soils, so incorporate a good soil amendment such as Sheep,
Peat and Compost into your planting. This soil amendment is produced locally.
Add
some Bone Meal to the planting site, to encourage rooting. Garlic is a very
friendly plant and grows well planted with other flowers and vegetables in the
garden as well as in the perennial bed.
Plant each clove about 2” deep, pointy
end up and spaced about 5"
to 6” apart. Like other spring flowering bulbs, garlic planted now will set
roots and start to grow. As the soil temperature cools down, growth stops.
Garlic can be mulched in early winter, after the ground freezes. The mulch will
hold in moisture and keep the ground stable.
As soil temperatures increase in
the spring, the bulb begins its growth cycle.
As you see leaves emerge, feed
your garlic every two weeks with Fish and Seaweed or Age Old Grow. Keep the
area around your garlic weed free.
Garlic doesn’t like to be crowded. Garlic
planted now will usually be ready for harvest around July 4th.
Dig your
garlic when the leaves start to turn brown. It’s best to use a garden fork to
lift the garlic out of the ground.
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