Sunday, September 23

Growing great garlic

Plant now for harvest next summer

There are some questions in life that offer few good explanations. Two of those questions relate to garlic: Where did the garlic that we know and love come from; and how could such a useful vegetable deserve such an unflattering moniker as "the stinking rose?"

The common white, papery-skinned head or bulb of garlic has been in cultivation for so long that its actual origin is unknown. And as for the name, well, the 'stinking' part is probably obvious, but not so the 'rose.'

Garlic is actually part of the Liliaceae family--making it a relative of the lily, not the rose. Some scholars theorize that French physician Henri Leclerc translated the ancient Greek name for garlic--scorodon--to skaion rodon, which became rose puante or stinking rose. Another possible explanation is that some people think the underside of a bulb of garlic resembles a white rose. We'll let you be the judge.

Garlic, onions, leeks and shallots are all members of the allium genus. And among the more than 400 different types of alliums there are many distinctly different types of garlic. Common garlic (Allium sativum) has two sub-varieties--softneck and hardneck. Softnecks usually have larger cloves on the outside surrounding smaller cloves toward the center with no central stem. Their tightly-wrapped cloves typically store well. Hardnecks have fewer but larger cloves encircling their dowel-like stem. If you are looking for large, easy-to-peel-and-chop garlic, definitely try a hardneck variety. Unfortunately, though, their thin, papery sleeves limit their storage to just a few months.

Taste is a matter of personal preference. If you are only familiar with the commercially-available softneck varieties of garlic, you'll want to try the hardnecks. They have a depth of flavor that must be experienced. And the best way to find your favorite is to plant a few different varieties this fall. Filaree Farms, located in Washington, offers over 100 unique strains of seed garlic that they have collected from sources all over the world. You can visit their website, www.filareefarm.com, or phone 509.422.6940 for more information. Gourmet Garlic Gardens in Texas also offers an online catalog at www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com.

Planting
Planting in September or early October should provide enough time for some root and top development before the ground freezes. You can try using cloves of garlic from bulbs that you purchase in the supermarket, but some have been treated to inhibit germination and may not sprout. If you notice them growing in your refrigerator, though, they are probably viable and worth a try.

You can also plant garlic in the very early spring (March), but the soil should still be prepared now.

Organic matter and fertility are really the keys to successful garlic growing. A raised bed of highly-amended soil creates the deep, fertile, well-drained conditions that it prefers. A hard, excessively-dry soil can result in small, irregularly-shaped bulbs. Wet soils can rot the clove or create an inferior product that does not store well.

Once the bed is prepared, all that is left to do is plant the individual cloves. (Typically, larger cloves produce larger bulbs.) Separate the cloves from the bulb right before planting to keep them from drying out and to insure the best yield. Plant the cloves upright about an inch or two deep and four to six inches apart. If planting in rows, allow at least 18 inches between them. Just before the ground freezes in early winter, mulch the area with a thick layer of straw or leaves to protect the small plants and encourage worm activity, which keeps the soil friable (loose).

In the spring, when the daffodil bulbs are a few inches out of the ground, remove the mulch and add about an inch of compost to the row or bed. Water only if extremely dry conditions persist and you notice the soil becoming hard. During the early summer, you may want to remove the flower buds on your garlic plants to promote larger bulbs. Other than some weeding, there isn't much else to do then until harvest.

Garlic isn't usually bothered by pests, but it can sometimes suffer from fungal or viral diseases. The best defense is to rotate your crop away from areas where any members of the allium family have been grown in the past. A minor attack of rust can be ignored, but for anything more severe remove the entire infected plant or plants and burn them.

Harvest
It's time to harvest your garlic when the tops start to turn yellow in July or August. Because too much summer moisture can do considerable damage, gently pull/dig the plants when there are still a few green leaves left. Dry the bulbs on racks or screens and remove the tops when they are dry. You can braid your softneck garlic or simply bunch it and hang it in a dark, well-ventilated space. It should keep for months this way.

Best "buds"
In the garden, garlic is a great mate to cabbage, beets and lettuce but bad news for beans, peas and potatoes. It is also a dear friend of the rose, because it helps control aphids.

After completing culinary arts training at Joliet Junior College and working as executive chef at the Heartland Health Spa in Gilman, Alex Panozzo returned to his agricultural roots on the family farm in Limestone. He has been involved with the local Master Gardener program for a number of years and is active in our area’s agri-tourism industry.