Garlic: The Pungent Clove

By Kymisha Montgomery, CGC Urban Agriculture Coordinator

With its pungent odor and spicy flavor, garlic sometimes gets a bad rap. But it’s a powerhouse in the culinary world with its supreme flavor and is considered a vital ingredient in most kitchens.

History & Health Benefits

Garlic was used by the Ancient Greeks and Romans as a sacred plant and thought to ward off evil spirits in the medieval Europe. First cultivated in Central Asia over 5,ooo years ago, garlic was the go-to natural remedy for a wide array of ailments. It’s a good source of vitamins A, C and B6 as well as manganese, selenium and fiber. Because of its microbial properties and antioxidants, it has been used to treat infections such as the common cold and can help reduce the risk of chronic stress and inflammation related diseases.

Types of Garlic

Now that we know some of its many health benefits, let’s dive deeper into how to successfully grow it. Garlic is in the Allium family along with onions, chives, shallots and leeks. With over a dozen different garlic varieties out there, each has its unique aroma, texture and flavor. We typically recognize two main categories of garlic today: hardneck and softneck.

Hardneck varieties produce a flowering stalk, known to most as a garlic scape, and are considered to be more flavorful and easier to peel. The central stalk that grows through the the bulb provides a clear distinction between hardneck and other varieties. Usually grown in cooler climates, the Rocambole types may not grow well in southern Ohio. If you decide to grow a hardneck variety, you may have better success with one of the other varieties such as a Purple Stripe, Glazed Purple Stripe, Marbled Purple Stripe or Porcelain type.

Softneck varieties are typically grown in climates with a mild winter. They do not grow the flowering scape, so their stems stay soft and flexible. This variety is ideal to grow in our zone 6b climate. There are two softneck garlic types: Artichoke and Silverskin. The Artichoke variety, of course, resembles the artichoke vegetable and has multiple overlapping layers of cloves. If you give it a try, you’ll find several varieties, like Italian Purple, Italian Late or California Early. Unfortunately, the Silverskin variety gets stressed easily by our cooler winter temperatures. Some of these varieties are the Inchelium Red, Kettle River Giant, Early Red Italian and the Che’s Italian Red.

Growing Garlic

Planting garlic is so very easy!  It can be planted in the fall, about 6 to 8 weeks before the ground freezes, and left to survive the winter alone without much assistance. This allows the roots to become established before the frigid winter temperatures settle in. This allium loves full sun and grows best in loose soils with nitrogen-rich organic matter, like compost, added to it. So preparing our clay soil bed for this crop is recommended.

Garlic grows from planting individual cloves broken off from a whole bulb saved from a previous crop or purchased from a supplier. Each clove has the potential to multiply in the ground as it grows, forming a new bulb that consists of many cloves.  As you know, unhealthy plants and seeds are susceptible to damage from pests and fungal organisms in the soil, so selecting the largest and more structurally sound cloves will get you the best results. Plant the cloves 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 5 inches apart with the pointy side up and the flat bottom down. Garlic does not compete well with weeds, so adding a thick layer of mulch after planting should do the trick! Make sure to remove it from around the garlic leaves once spring arrives and add a fertilizer to the soil since garlic is a heavy feeder.

Harvesting time can vary from late June to August. Typically, I like to harvest my bulbs towards the second week of July. Hardneck varieties present two opportunities to harvest because they also grow scapes. You will know your scapes are ready to be harvested when they form a spiral. Simply cut the scape where it comes out of the stalk, then cook with or dispose of them as you prefer. If you wait, they become straight and have a less desirable flavor. When the bottom 3 or 4 leaves of the garlic plant begin to yellow and droop, the garlic is ready to be harvested. Allow the bulbs to cure or dry out in the sun for several days. After drying, trim the roots and cut the stalks. You can freeze it, can it, dehydrate it or even store it in vinegar or wine!