Spicing Up the Garden With a Clove of Garlic

Garlic is an ancient bulb crop revered throughout the ages. It was grown in the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, and bulbs have been found in 5,000-year-old Egyptian tombs. Today, it’s used to flavor a variety of foods and said to ward off illness and fight infection.

Now through the end of the year is the perfect time to plant these pungent cloves. Be aware, though, that you’ll need patience. Garlic takes a full nine months to mature, not even forming bulbs until the leaves have grown for five or six months. Plant now and you can harvest next June.

It may be a slow grower, but fresh garlic is well worth the wait, said David Baldwin, owner of the Natural Gardening Co. in San Anselmo, Calif.

“Grow your own and you get to try a variety of garlic that you usually can’t get in the store,” he said.

There are two main types of garlic--hardneck and softneck.

Hardneck garlic develops a woody flower stem, which should be removed. Korean Red has distinctive purple stripes on the outer skin and is very strong-flavored, and Red Italian is reddish-purple and preferred by gourmet chefs. Both are often hard to find in the store.

Softneck types are more common. They have smaller cloves than hardnecks and are good for braiding. Some varieties include California Early, California Late and Silver Rose, which has smooth white bulb wrappers containing rose-colored cloves.

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To succeed in growing garlic, keep the following tips in mind.

* Choose fresh cloves that are firm and weighty.

* Pick your location carefully. Keep in mind that you will not be able to use the garlic planting area until mid- to late June of next year. Garlic needs full sun.

* Plant in an area with good drainage, as garlic is prone to rot in wet soil.

* Amend the soil with plenty of homemade or bagged compost, mixing 1 to 2 inches into the top 6 to 8 inches.

* Container growing is a good option where drainage is poor or location is limited. Choose a pot that is 10 to 12 inches deep and 12 inches in diameter. Use a high-quality potting soil fortified with compost.

* Fertilize at planting time with a long-lasting organic fertilizer combination that includes bone meal, blood meal, kelp meal or rock phosphate, or use a synthetic time-released fertilizer. In spring, apply fish emulsion once or twice to in- ground plants. Container grown plants should be fertilized with fish emulsion monthly.

* Plant individual cloves with the root end down 1 to 2 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart in rows about a foot apart. In containers plant 1 to 2 inches deep with 3 inches around each clove.

* Always keep garlic evenly moist, as drying out will kill the plants or cause them to be less vigorous. (Pay special attention during Santa Ana winds.) Keep moisture locked into the soil by applying a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch, which will also keep weeds in check.

* Once the garlic leaves start to brown, usually in late spring, slow down on watering. When only five to six green leaves remain, check a clove for maturity.

* Harvest by gently pulling garlic from the ground and brushing off excess soil. Hang by the leaves in a hot, dry, dark, well-ventilated spot such as a car port, deck or garage for a few weeks. They are ready for use when the tops are completely dry. If the bulbs lose weight during drying, the area is too hot.

* Properly cured garlic can be stored for several months. Softneck garlic can be braided and hung in an area with good air circulation. Or you can remove the tops of both types and hang them in a mesh bag.

Information on garlic bulbs can be obtained from the Natural Gardening Co., (415) 456-5060 or on the Internet at www.2xtreme.net/ngc