"Growing Garlic"

Growing garlic in your garden will not only win you lots of brownie points in the kitchen but can also keep colds, flus and all sorts of other ailments at bay.

Garlic has long been used as a medicinal as well as a culinary herb and modern research proves the valuable properties garlic contains.

And it really isn't hard to grow. Garlic likes a fairly sunny spot in the garden but will grow in a semi shade area. Garlic cloves can be planted in random places around the vegetable bed and will deter all kinds of bugs and pests from your crops. Or grow in lines as you would onions.

Buy your cloves from a reputable garden supplier or use a bulb you have bought from the grocers or supermarkets. These may not be as productive as the hybrid varieties bred for planting, but on the other hand they might! It's worth a try.

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Growing garlic - planting: Garlic needs a fairly long growing season and should be planted as early in the season as possible. As soon as the ground is workable, dig over and remove any perennial weeds.

Rake until the soil is fairly fine and remove all large stones. The ground should be well drained. Add gravel or sand to the soil if it seems to wet, or to be holding water.

Plant individual cloves so that the tip is at the surface of the soil. Watch out for birds at this stage, as they like to pull them right out again! Cover very lightly with soil if you have a problem with birds in your area. Water gently and let them grow.

Caring for garlic Keep weeds away especially in the early stages of growing garlic. The plants don't produce masses of foliage and can be overtaken with weeds very quickly if not checked. Water during periods of very dry weather but always make sure the plants aren't waterlogged. The single garlic cloves will grow and produce whole bulbs, all being well.

The plants should be left in the ground until the leaves die back. If a lot of rain is expected though, it's best to lift the bulbs before the wet weather sets in. Leave to die back as long as possible, then gently fork around the bulbs and lift. Lay on the soil in the sun for a few hours to dry and take them in at night.

Garlic can be stored for many months. The leaves can be plaited to reduce storing space. Hang plaits or store single bulbs in a dry airy place out of direct light. Use as you need them.

Grow Your Own Pharmacy: If, like me, you want to be able to eat the best food on the planet, grow your own!

Happy Gardening!

Herb Gardening: Herbs are becoming recognised more and more as superfoods, as if we didn't know that really! 'Herb Gardening' has been beautifully put together by the publisher (Crowood Press) into a well presented book with full colour photos.

You'll also find gardening advice as well as some ideas on planning a herb garden. Order it now direct from the publisher... Herb Gardening

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