Hit the Dirt; Garlic, the Glorious One

Garlic all powerful marvelous seasoning. You were the essence the incense which revives exhilarates. You were the spur that excites stimulates garlic you store up you impel you cheer. You are the only condiment you are the glorious one the sovereign extract of the earth. Perhaps you're not as quite as in thrall by garlic as my friend who has this tribute displayed prominently on her kitchen wall. But if you use it at all for any of its wonderful cologne or your medicinal properties then garlic should have a place in your garden and it is one of the easiest to keep your own seed from as I discussed last week. Garlic has been cultivated across the globe since ancient times. Historical sources trace it back in China at least as far as the second century. It is one of the crops mentioned in the Bible and the Romans grew unaided extensively believing that it gave them the strength and courage to win battles and form great feats. It was Spanish travelers who brought this magnificent Arab to the Western Hemisphere. Garlic has long been revered for its medicinal properties and modern research has confirmed its healing nature. It has been shown to be an effective bacteria side and can draw infection from wounds it is relatively high in vitamin C.. I also find it to be an essential cooking greening using it more often than any other single vegetable. Hardly a day goes by where garlic hasn't found its way onto my plate

and some delicious dish. In the garden garlic is extolled as a companion plant extraordinary. Among the powers of the ability to repel blight from tomatoes and potatoes beetles from potatoes red spider from tomatoes green loopers from cabbage Japanese beetles from raspberries and roses and black spark from roses. It's a key ingredient in a number of home brewed organic commotions sprays for combating white flies and other major greenhouse pests as well as fighting brown rot disease and stone fruit. What's more it is an extremely easy and carefree crop to grow. If you provide it with the right soil conditions the garlic plant has a somewhat small coarsely textured shallow root system. Hence it is poorly adapted to droughty or heavy soils what it loves in flourishes and is plenty of organic matter. Garlic is one of the few vegetables that gardeners even as far north as Maine should plant in the fall in order to get the most out of the harvest. You could plant that in the spring but the bulbs you harvest will be smaller. So why wait till then. It's extremely hardy and even last December's early blast of bitter cold weather following that balmy November didn't faze my garlic plantings a bit. Not a 1:1 are killed. So summer is winding

down it's time to start making preparations for next year's garlic crop. If you haven't obtained seed stock yet you can either order some from a seed catalog or check out what's available in local markets. Garlic is a member of the allium family. Unlike onions and leeks has been propagated for so long that the seed has become infertile or nonexistent. So does the individual close you plant and those sold for eating are perfectly fine for planting ethnic and specialty food shops often carry nice varieties. Look for well-formed bulbs with big cloves. There's a definite direct correlation between cloves planted and the sizable harvest. All other factors being equal. In deciding where to plant them. You might consider experimenting with companion planting some like to spread them throughout the garden and others feel it's best to line them about the perimeter of the garden to deter would be passed from entering. One warning I've often heard however is the alliums members of the onion family should not be into plant about peace nor should you put them where you have put people put peas the following year. Supposedly they exude a substance in the soil which results in poor AP growth. Once you've decided where you want to plant it take the time to examine the soil there. It's not fluffy with a fair bit of

humus. You should now work in plenty of compost. Be sure to leave the area on compacted and come the middle of October. It is time to plant the clothes carefully separate them after peeling off the papery outer skins of the bowl recommends spacings are three to four inches apart and rows 12 18 12 to 18 inches apart. Although you can make the rows closer if your soil is light and fertile. Last year I planted mine three inches apart in all directions and they did fine. Nice large bulbs. Now come mistake is to plant the cloves upside down. Yes there is an up and down of garlic cloves. So be aware. Look at the garlic where the roots come out is the end with the new roots will come out of the clothes so this should point into the earth plant about an inch below the soil surface. After the ground freezes I like to mulch my garlic not so much to protect it from the winter cold it's to prevent it from heaving in the thaws and refreezes of late winter and early spring. The garlic start sprouting up quite early in the spring so don't leave the mulch on too long by the time the peas and spinach are but tiny seedlings The garlic is lush and tall and growing strong. A real inspiration. As I said earlier it's a carefree crop does better and moist soil. So you might want to water it during dry spells.

It is not bothered by any insects pests as far as I know there's some disease of the soil that can affect it but they are not extremely common and can largely been avoid avoided by rotating your alliums never planting it were another member of the onion family has grown in the previous few years and due to the early jump on the season. I find that weeds are a negligible problem in the garlic bread. However when you do cultivate do so shallow so as to minimally disturb garlic shallow root system as a top start to dry. Hold off from any watering the garlic will be ready to harvest when approximately one third to one half the leaves are dried and brown usually around late July. The plants are left in the ground too long the bubble split open allowing soil to get in between the clothes pull the whole plant and allow to dry in the shade with the tops on for a week or more. Then trim the tops. If you don't want to braid them and roots continue to court cure them for another week and then store them in a cool and dry location 30 to 40 degrees and 60 to 70 percent humidity is ideal. Then when October rolls around again pick up your bulbs with the biggest cloves and use them as your seed for next year's crop. And may the rest of your bounty give you the health and courage to make it through another

Maine winter. Well this is from another edition of hit the dirt. See you next week.