Over the years I have grown leeks, onions, shallots, alliums and chives but it is only recently that I have started to cultivate another member of that bulbous and pungent family. Like so many things, it started with Gardener’s World on the BBC and a demonstration of how to grow this nowadays ubiquitous kitchen necessity: garlic.
The method looked simple, so in October 2020 I decided to have a go myself. When no one was looking I filched a couple of healthy looking bulbs from the vegetable rack and divided them into separate cloves. In a nicely raked section at the end of a raised bed I planted two rows, placing the cloves about three inches down and covering them over. Quite simple.
Within a few weeks, fine green shoots began to appear from each clove. Having reached about 6-7 inches in length before the colder weather began to arrive, there they sat all Winter.
When Spring came, they demanded no more than light weeding, and gradually the stems grew quite thick and reached a height of about 18 inches. By June some were beginning to flower and I decided it was time to lift them. An exploratory enquiry, raising the plant as gently as I could with a small fork, revealed a beautiful garlic bulb, shining white as it emerged from the light, dry soil. A week, later and on the longest day as it happened, I lifted the whole small crop and was delighted with the outcome.
For the last two years I have been more ambitious. Enthused by this endlessly useful and many would say, health giving plant, I now devote an entire raised bed to its cultivation. I buy-in ‘seed’ from a reliable organic food store and from this I plant out 10 rows of garlic, six cloves to a row.
The plants seem unperturbed by snow and frost, even in last Winter’s extended periods of cold. With the arrival of Spring they soon begin to bulk up. When a flush of weeds comes in May, I carefully remove them. But beyond that there is little to do but let the plants run their course. By early June it becomes clear that the plants are ceasing to grow, and some start to turn yellow or produce tiny little bulbs on the stems. These are known as bulbils and can be used in cooking or can be planted to grow on more stock. When they appear, I declare the crop ready for harvest.
Now I scan the weather forecast and look for a likely spell of dry weather. The last two years have been fortuitous in this regard. Each plant needs to be dried off and ‘cured’ with the stem still present. It takes a few weeks. They are best in the sunshine, otherwise out of the rain and with a bit of a breeze blowing through.
Cleaning up each garlic bulb is a pleasant task. First I knock off any surplus soil, then trim off the roots. Finally, when the whole stem is dry it can be cut off at the top of the bulb. I’ve tried plaiting them, French-style, but need to improve my technique. The final cosmetic task is to remove the discoloured outer papery skin of the bulb to expose the clean layer below – a beautiful white or perhaps white, flecked with purple shades.
I’ve found that home-grown garlic keeps surprisingly well in a cool, dry place. In fact this year, we still had supplies when the new crop was harvested.
Garlic has a long growing season, but is undemanding to cultivate. It also has the benefit of putting part of the Winter vegetable garden to good use when it might otherwise be dormant. Likewise the harvest comes at a time when other things are ready to plant out. This year, within hours of lifting the bulbs, I had replanted the entire bed with Cos lettuce and dwarf French beans.
One word of caution. Home grown garlic seems to be far stronger than the shop bought product. So whenever using it in cooking, do be sure your nearest and dearest partakes of the meal with you!
Quotidian 