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Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, fight heart disease, boost your immune system, and add a bit of flavor to your meals by growing your own garlic.
Grow garlic in a sunny location with well-drained soil. Plant cloves in fall about 6 weeks before the ground freezes in cold climates and early winter in warmer regions. Garlic needs 6 to 8 weeks of cool temperatures below 40 degrees for the shoot and bulb to develop. The leaves will form during cool short days of spring and then slow when bulb growth begins in the warmer longer days of summer.
Plant individual cloves about 6 inches apart with the pointed side up and the base of the clove 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface.
Mulch the soil with weed-free straw or evergreen boughs after the ground freezes, if you are gardening in an area with cold winters.
Mulch the soil and water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil evenly moist during active growth.
A bit more information: Your garlic will be ready to harvest when 1/3, but less than ½ of the leaves turn brown. Start by digging one plant and checking the garlic for maturity. Cloves should be plump and fill the skin.
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