I am so fascinated with garlic, whether it’s the flavour or the simplicity of growing your own. Gardening magazines would tell you to buy the bulbs from specialty bulb sellers or something, but don’t let that fool you. I’ve been growing my own just from store bought garlic from my local supermarket and they work fine. Never really had a problem with them. Besides, it’s much cheaper to buy the bulbs at the shops.
Why grow you ask? If you’ve ever tasted home-grown produce then you’ll want to grow your own garlic. The flavour is more intense and it’s as fresh as you’ll ever get, and you can grow them organically, which is better for your health.
How to grow garlic
Garlic is the simplest thing to grow. Pretty much break up the bulb into single cloves and only plant the big cloves around the outside, don’t use the tiny ones inside. If your garlic already has shoots emerging, it’s even better ’cause it’ll mean that they’ll take off as soon as it’s in the ground.
Place or push the cloves into the soil with a bit of the tip (shoots) showing in the ground. This will prevent the bulbs from rotting under the soil. Place each clove a distance of about 7cm apart in evenly spaced rows. Make sure you have well drained soil and don’t water too often until the shoots have emerged or the bulbs will rot. Fertilize with organic matter every 4 weeks to improve bulb size. Garlics need a long growing season, just like onions, so is best planted in autumn or winter to increase yield.
Harvest when the leaves have turned yellow and collapsed. Dry your garlic away from direct sunlight.
