Individual Garlic Cloves.
Garlic has been widely used around the world for its pungent flavor, as a seasoning, or condiment for thousands of years. Just as well garlic has been used for countless medicinal purposes including antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal activity. As we prepare for hard times we want to create healthy bodies. Garlic may help reduce our dependency on health care. Everything we can do to prevent injury, disease, or infections should be taken into account. Currently China is the top exporter of garlic which I find strange since its so easy to grow!
Full disclosure, this is our first time growing garlic but after talking to growers at the Oxford farmers market I am fully convinced that it will not be difficult. Garlic is planted in the fall to produce larger cloves next year. Garlic is usually grown asexually which just means we are not growing it from seed, but instead from the individual cloves.
Garlic cloves should be planted pointy end up 6-12 inches apart, 2-4 inches deep. Our beds are very deep so our garlic was planted fairly close together. As you can see in the photo we are trying 6 types of garlic from the sampler pack we ordered from Nichols Nursery allowing us to determine what variety grows best in our area.
Varieties of garlic are marked.
To keep track of the different varieties I used sticks to separate them and logged all the information in the homestead journal. Without proper identification it may be difficult to determine what is what after all the winter weather.
A layer of compost followed by a layer of straw helps protect the cloves over the winter.
To protect the cloves, a layer of compost followed by a layer of straw is liberally applied to the surface of the soil. The separating sticks will serve a dual purpose of keeping the straw in place through the winter.
We live on the edge of zones 5b and 6a. From what I have gathered through veteran growers, garlic can be planted into the early days of November in our area. Remember we are not aiming for much growth this year, only giving it an early start for next year.
If you have any questions or comments or would like to add something please comment below or email us at simpleprepping@rocketmail.com.
