Garlic is one of the most loved food ingredients here in Ireland. Bolognaise, shepherds pie, lamb, salad dressings, the list goes on and on. Very few people do not like garlic (I'm actually one of them but I think they produce a lovely flower!). It is also one of the easiest things to grow.
It doesn't matter if you are short on space because these plants will quite happily grow in a container or planter so long as it's at least 8'' in diameter. Garlic has very shallow roots so it grows out rather than down. Here's how to start growing it;
Planting.
Firstly decide what type of garlic you would like to plant.
Softneck Garlic- this is the one found in most of the larger shops. You can actually grow your own from these but quite often they will have been grown in warmer climates and are more sensitive to the weather we have here. They have a milder taste than the hardneck varieties but do produce a larger crop per bulb.
Hardneck Garlic- This is a much better variety for cooler climates like ours. Even though they do not produce as much as the softneck variety, they make up for it by being significantly stronger in taste. A friend of mine grew some last year and commented when cutting it he felt like he was chopping an onion, his eyes were watering so much!.
So even though you can grow the ones from the shop I would advise getting them from a garden centre, at least then you know exactly what you are growing and that it is also disease free. Some good varieties to try are; Garlic Germidour, Cristo, Vigour, and Eden Rose to name but a few.
Once you have chosen what you want to plant you can then decide where to plant it. Garlic likes a fairly well drained bright spot so don't put it anywhere that water gathers. Other than that it is a very tolerant plant. If you have very dense clay soil you might be better starting it off in a seed tray such as the Grow It Seed and Cutting Tray. Just wait until it has sprouted a strong green shoot before planting outside.
They should be planted at a depth of 2cm with at least 15 cm between them. If you are putting in rows make sure the rows are 30cm apart.
If you would like to use a container just make sure that you don't put in too many together so that they're not competing for space.
Once planted Garlic is very low maintenance. Just make sure that it is watered regularly and that the weeds are kept in check. For container grown garlic, it's no harm to give it a little feed in late spring, putting tomato feed such as Maxi Crop Organic Fertiliser in the watering can would be perfect.
Once the leaves start to turn yellow stop watering so regularly. It means the bulbs are nearly fully grown and overwatering at this point can cause them to rot.
When flowers appear it's best to remove them so that the energy is redirected towards the bulbs. The flowers are actually edible and can be used chopped up in salads or just tossed into a bolognese.
Finally your Garlic should be ready to harvest approximately 8 months after planting and can be stored for months to come provided you leave them in a cool, dry place.
Sophie X
