Just remember that garlic likes a sunny location with well-drained soil. In spring, it needs about an inch of water a week, but spring rains usually do the trick. (Garlic does not like to be wet, though.)
You'll need to weed fastidiously starting in April. And next summer, after you harvest what you'll eat, save the rest of the bulbs for next year's supply.
To cure or dry the bulbs for next year, Jefferies bundles six of them together, stalks intact, wraps string around them, and hangs them in Wyck's carriage house. You might not have a carriage house, so any dry, well-ventilated place out of the sun will do. No direct sun.
To find garlic sets for planting, Jefferies recommends buying from local farmers markets because you know their garlic grows locally and was harvested this season.
You can also order online from Landreth Seed or Seed Savers Exchange (www.seedsavers.org).
Other sources include Burpee (www.burpee.com), Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (www.rareseeds.com/seeds), and Johnny's Selected Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com), although Baker Creek and Johnny's appear to be sold out for this year.
More Information
Growing Great Garlic: The Definitive Guide for Organic Gardeners and Small Farmers, by Ron L. Engeland, Filaree Productions, 1991. Factual guide.
It's a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an Organic Farmer Who Quit the Big City for the (Not So) Simple Life, by Keith Stewart, Perseus Publishing, 2006. A fun read.
D. Landreth Seed Co. (www.landrethseeds.com)
Penn State Cooperative Extension (http://extension.psu.edu
- Virginia A. Smith
Contact garden writer Virginia A. Smith at 215-854-5720 or vsmith@phillynews.com.
