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Whether you like garlic in spaghetti sauce or stir-fry, or just around the rose bushes to ward off pests, fall is the time to plant it for harvest the following summer. If you've never grown your own garlic before, never fear because it's easy and problem-free. Here's how to get started on a great crop of garlic.
Know your garlic types. Hardneck types (Allium ophioscorodon),such as rocambole, usually send up a flower stalk. They're best in climates with very cold winters. They produce large cloves that are easy to peel. Softneck garlic (A. sativum), the kind typically sold in supermarkets, grows well in a wide range of conditions. Softnecks' skins are tighter, so they store betterover longer periods.
Get thee to a festival. Garlic festivals are a great opportunity to learn about garlic and buy organic cloves suited to your conditions—as well as to eat garlicky treats. If you can't get to a festival, your best bet is to buy planting stock from nearby growers whose garlic is already adapted to local conditions. To find local growers, visit farmer's markets or ask your county extension agent.
Plant in full and sun and deep, rich soil. Garlic produces the plumpest, tasiest bulbs when it grows in full sun and in deep, loamy, fertilesoil, says the All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Garlic is susceptible to fungus when growing in a continually wet site. If you can, plant in a raised bed, which drains well and has loose soil. Here's an easy to guide to planting garlic...
Try it in a container. For garlicky tasting greens you can harvest and eat in mid-winter, plant a few cloves in a small pot filled with light potting mix and place the pot in a sunny windowsill. Snip the greens as they grow.
