Gardening Guy Henry Homeyer gave us some homework last week; he told us to get some garlic- to plant.
You wrote this week that this is the time for planting garlic. Is it easy to grow?
It’s the easiest crop that I grow. I plant it, I mulch it, I harvest it. It’s as simple as that.
Where can you get seed garlic?
I got some at a farmer’s market this past Saturday… some garden centers will have it, some seed companies will have it; but what you’re really looking for is a locally- grown garlic from a farm stand or farmers market; it is the best.
What kind of garlic should we be looking for?
Hard-neck garlic; it is winter hardy… it has a stiff stem coming right out of the middle of the bulb.
Any tricks in planting?
Garlic likes a rich fluffy soil. I always add some compost before planting… plant ‘em about the width of your hand, two to three inches deep.
How do you protect it for winter?
I put about a foot of fluffy mulch hay over the top of the bed and that will compact over the winter with rain and snow. That keeps the bulbs warmer and prevents weeds from growing in the spring and summer.
So growing garlic is straight forward and relatively easy… any other reasons to do it?
Garlic is very healthy; some scientists believe it helps to fight cancer. The bottom line is garlic is tasty.
