FEATURESTORY
by Donna Brown
Garlic is Great for the
Off-Garden Season
E
very gardener can har-
vest garlic from their
garden and it is easy to
grow if it is grown at the
right time of year. Garlic is best
grown during the months when
tomatoes and summer vegetables
have vacated the garden space.
In some areas, garlic can be har-
vested before these summer veg-
etables require the space.
Garlic is an ingredient for many
different dishes. Not only can we
use the cloves, but we can use
the greens or chives in cooking
and salads as well. A juice made
of garlic cloves and leaves can
also be used as an insect repel-
lent for the garden.
Types of Garlic
There are two types of garlic, the soft
neck and the hard neck. Hard neck is also
known as “seed stem” because in the late
spring just before bulb expansion, the
plant shoots up a flower stem. This needs
to be removed for the best bulb yields.
Hard-neck yields larger cloves, tastes bet-
ter, but can be hard to keep from sprout-
ing if it is placed in long-term storage.
Soft-neck is what is found in most grocery
stores. It stores better, is easier to grow in
warmer climates and has a slightly higher
yield. The cloves in soft-neck are more dif-
ficult to divide.
August 2017
www.GardenandGreenhouse.net
41