GROWING GARLIC
Instead of buying your garlic at the suprmarket, try growing it yourself. Homegrown garlic has an entirely different flavor profile compared to the diced stuff you get in a tub at the supermarket. Bring your cooking to life with authentic homegrown garlic in your recipes.
A member of the onion family, this staple of Mediterranean cooking is simple to grow in a warm sunny site with well-drained soil. It’s grown from cloves, which are best planted in late autumn, and is ready to harvest the following summer.
HOW TO
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Garlic is grown from cloves – the small individual segments in a bulb of garlic. However, planting garlic bought from a supermarket is not recommended. They might carry diseases or be unsuitable for our British climate, so results may be disappointing. Instead, buy named varieties of garlic from a garden centre or online supplier. Although more expensive, they should (fingers crossed as will all crops) produce a better result..
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Garlic likes a sunny site with well-draining soil. Wet soil can make garlic more prone to disease, particularly if planted in autumn. If your soil is heavy and damp over winter, it’s better to start garlic off in modules or pots in a cold frame before planting out in spring.
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Garlic doesn’t like acid soil.
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Prior to planting, remove any weeds, then improve the soil’s structure, moisture retention and nutrient levels by digging in organic matter. Apply about two bucketfuls of well-rotted (not fresh) manure or garden compost every square metre.
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Once you’ve prepared your planting site, carefully split your garlic bulbs into individual cloves. Be sure to plant them the right way up, with the flat end downwards and the pointed end upwards. Space the cloves 15cm (6in) apart, with the tip 2.5cm (1in) below the soil surface. In light soil, deeper planting can produce larger bulbs, but don’t plant deeply in heavy soil. Space rows 30cm (1ft) apart.
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To improve bulb size, you can water garlic during dry spells in spring and early summer. However, don’t water once the bulbs are large and well formed, as this could encourage rotting – yellowing foliage is a sign that the bulbs are reaching this stage of maturity.
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Try to avoid overhead watering, as it can encourage fungal problems.
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Remove any flower stems as soon as they start to form, otherwise the plant’s energy will go into producing the flower (bolting) rather than swelling the bulb. It also means the bulb won’t store well.
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While the bulbs are still growing, you can harvest a few of the green leaves to use as a garnish or in salads. You may sometimes find cloves form on the stalk (known as ‘top sets’) due to changeable weather in spring – these can be used as you would normal garlic cloves. If a flower stem starts to form, the bud (or ‘scape’) can be cooked and eaten too.
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Garlic bulbs are ready to harvest once the leaves have turned yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is ready in early summer and spring-planted from mid-summer to early autumn. Try not to delay harvesting, as the bulbs open up and store less well if lifted late. Carefully dig up the bulbs with a fork. Handle them gently, as bruising also reduces their storage potential.
If your soil is heavy and/or wet over winter, start garlic off in modules in autumn, keeping them in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse over winter, then plant them out in spring. Partly fill a modular tray with peat-free multi-purpose or soil-based compost. Insert one clove into each module and cover with more compost. Place in a cool location protected from excess rain and the harshest winter weather – a well-ventilated cold frame is ideal. Keep the compost moist but not wet. Plant out in spring, into prepared ground 15cm (6in) apart.