Interested in Growing Garlic?
You've come to the right place. Growing garlic requires well tilled, well drained soil. Unlike most vegetables, garlic is generally planted in the late fall. It is usually reserved for traditional vegetable gardens. Garlic can be grown in containers. However, many containers would be needed if more than a few heads of garlic were desired.
Garlic is a member of the allium family, which also includes such root vegetables as onions, shallots and leeks. However, unlike these other vegetables, garlic seed cloves need to be exposed to freezing weather AFTER they are planted. This helps them form nice, big bulbs with lots of cloves. If they aren't exposed to freezing weather for at least a few days, the usual result is poorly formed bulb that generally consists of just one or two giant, malformed cloves.
Garlic is not planted from seed, but rather from individual garlic cloves. Each clove will produce a single plant with a single head of garlic. The garlic head is made up of several garlic cloves clustered together. Each of these cloves can be separated from the head and re-planted, creating more and more heads of garlic. This process makes raising garlic a self-sustaining endeavor.
Garlic has a wide range of applications. It is used as an ingredient in a wide variety of Spanish, French, Italian, Mexican, and Mediterranean recipes. Because it's used in so many recipes, most home cooks keep a head or two of garlic in the kitchen. If you're an inexperienced cook and looking for some help, visit www.The-First-Time-Cook.com for great tips and advice.
Additionally, garlic has also been used for several medicinal and practical applications. It has been said that raw garlic can prevent acne and repel mosquitoes. It also has antibacterial properties and has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries.
Garlic contains a fair amount of sugar, which will caramelize if roasted in the oven. Cloves can be left whole or sliced, crushed, minced or diced. Garlic is a hearty vegetable that can easily be dried and stored for months on end.
The following links will tell you everything you need to know about growing garlic...
Click here to learn about planting garlic
Click here for information about different garlic varieties
Click here to learn about watering and fertilizing garlic plants
Click here for information about harvesting garlic
Click here for some garlic recipe ideas
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