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When you first start growing garlic it is worth buying proper seed garlic from a seed merchant or garden center, so that you know it is suitable for your climate and planting time. Growing garlic is an easy, cheap and after one season you will never have to buy garlic again. Each clove will produce one plant with a single bulb - which may in turn contain up to twenty cloves growing garlic is therefore self-sustaining. You can start growing garlic simply by taking the biggest, healthiest looking cloves from an ordinary bulb of garlic and planting them. Growing garlic from randomly selected cloves is a lottery. To ensure large bulbs, cut back any flower stalks that develop, and spray young plants with compost tea once or twice during the spring. You can plant garlic in spring as well as in fall, but expect fewer and smaller bulbs. Because garlic takes so long to mature, plant it in a spot where you won't accidentally disturb the dormant bulbs. You can learn how to grow garlic successfully at home. All you need to do is provide a few basic requirements to have a fine crop of delicious, healthy garlic for your family's enjoyment. There are three main types of garlic that you can choose from for your home garden. Which ever type of garlic you select, they will all have the same basic requirements. It is a good idea to grow your garlic in raised bed or large containers so that you can amend the soil to meet the needs of your crop. Garlic likes to have loose, crumbly soil so you can add sand, peat moss or compost to improve the consistency. Some growers have excellent results by mixing manure into their garlic bed before planting. This will give your garlic plenty of nutrients to grow large, healthy bulbs. Growing in cold temperatures is important after planting to aid in the development of the garlic bulb. You should plant garlic from fall to early winter, usually after the first frost. Garlic cloves will need to have the outer wrapping split before planting. Home grown, freshly harvested garlic bulbs, are much stronger than those found in stores. The size of the garlic bulbs you grow is partly controllable by the spacing you use for the cloves. If you want to grow huge garlic bulbs, then give the plants plenty of space. Bulbils can be planted and will grow into single garlic bulbs. Elephant garlic should be spaced six to eight inches apart. Garlic cloves will need to have the outer wrapping split before planting. Harvesting Your Garlic Crop As garlic reaches maturity, the leaves will brown then die away. This is the cue that it is time to harvest your garlic crop. If you harvest too early the cloves will be very small, too late and the bulb will have split. Proper handling of garlic after it's been picked is almost as important as looking after it whilst it's growing. It's essential that garlic is dried properly, otherwise it will rot. The bulbs are often hung up in a cool, dry place. After a week or so, take them down and brush the dirt off gently - don't wash the bulbs at this stage. Then enjoy the delicious results of growing your own garlic in your own garden. Soil Requirements Garlic grows best on friable (crumbly) loamy soils that are fertile and high in organic matter. Gardeners who can grow onions can grow garlic since the culture is similar. Garlic does well with high amounts of fertilizer. As a general recommendation, apply three pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer per 100 square feet. Follow soil test recommendations for your particular garden soil. The soil must be kept evenly moist as dry soil will cause irregularly shaped bulbs. Heavy clay soils will also create misshaped bulbs and make harvesting difficult. Add organic matter, such as well-rotted manure or compost to the soil on a yearly basis to keep it friable. For more information and tips on gardening go to www.Teegoes.org
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