Growing and Storing Garlic

Garlic can be not only a delicious mainstay of the home kitchen, but also of the home garden.

Like apples, tomatoes and most veggies, fresh garlic just tastes better. Very often the garlic you buy in the grocery store is not only quite old, it may very well have come from across the world. China is a big exporter of garlic to the United States of America.

There are two basic kinds of garlic that are commonly grown - hardneck and softnecks. Softneck garlic varieties store longer and grow better in warmer climates. Hardnecks are larger, more drought tolerant, and grow scapes (flowers) that also make delicious eating, but don't store as well.

While you can plant garlic directly from bulbs bought at the grocery store, it is best to use garlic seed (also called seed garlic) to ensure optimum characteristics and a productive garlic crop. Garlic is planted in the fall, earlier in the cooler climates, and later in the fall season for warmer climates.

Plant your garlic in rich, healthy, well-amended soil when the temperature of the soil is 60º or cooler. Garlic likes slightly acidic, well-cultivated soils with plenty of organic matter (compost). Garlic roots do best when planted before the ground freezes to allow for root establishment prior to wintery cold temperatures.

Plant cloves pointed end up, approximately 8 inches apart, a finger length deep in rows or beds that are well marked. After they come up, mulch with straw or your favorite non-weed carrying mulch and leave them alone. Note: To avoid fusarium wilt and white rot, just as with other vegetables, be sure not to plant garlic in the same part of your garden every year. A rotation period of 4-5 years is good.

Garlic is ready to harvest in the summer when the leaves start to die back, usually in June. Once you have harvested your garlic, clean them up, put them into bundles tied with twine, label them and let them dry in a cool, dry place for a few weeks. Don't refrigerate your garlic. It likes a temperature of around 60º F, so ideally store it in a cool cellar, shed or garage.

An easy and dependable way to store your garlic is in the form of garlic powder. After letting the freshly harvested garlic dry for a few weeks, peel the cloves and either roast the garlic for ½ hour in a 350º oven and after cooling, place in a kitchen blender or food processor, and then dehydrate the paste in the oven or dehydrator. Or, dehydrate the peeled cloves and blend them once dried. Place the garlic powder in a good glass jar and store with your other spices.

Carol Koury is the founder and CEO of Sow True Seed, http://www.sowtrueseed.com, an open-pollinated, non-hybrid, GMO-free vegetable, herb and flower seed company specializing in heirloom, certified organic, and traditional varieties. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Sow True Seed seeks to promote and foster community sustainability by helping to preserve our shared botanical heritage and seed a new era of sustainable culture and ecological wisdom. To learn more about Sow True Seed and the importance of planting open-pollinated seed, join us on Facebook or visit the Sow True Seed website.

(c) Copyright - Carol Koury. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.