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before Jack Frost makes an appearance. The bean plants are then turned over into the soil and the cloves of garlic placed in the now new bed.

The garlic is planted with the pointed end facing upwards about two inches deep. Even then, I still have to push a few deeper in the spring since the ground frost will bring them to the surface. The garlic cloves should be planted about two to thee inches apart in rows about a foot wide.

The garlic beds are then covered with mulch, usually leaves and then sprinkled with compost. Normally, there is plenty of time after the first frost for the root system to develop before the long, cold hard winter arrives.

The green shoots are among the first greens appearing as the snow melts in the early spring, usually late March. A late snowfall in the early spring, April seems to always bring the last snows, does not seem to bother the plants.

When the weather warms and the the grass needs to be mowed, it is a good idea to use the clippings in the garden bed for mulch. This practice makes weeding, an important task, much easier and helps the moisture content in the soil.

By mid-June the scapes are ready for harvest. There are a large number of uses for these which can be found; they are great steamed and added to meats and vegetables, or pickled. When most of the green, grass-like stalks of the garlic begin to turn brown, it's time to carefully dig the harvest, being careful not to let them sit in the warm summer sun for extended periods of time. In my garden, the garlic is ready to dig around mid to late July.

The garlic should then be allowed to cure in an airy shaded spot for several weeks. Shortly afterwards. I usually separate the larger bulbs for fall planting, keeping the smaller one for kitchen use. I usually take a chance and plant the "old" garlic beds with a late crop of beans. Most years I get a good harvest depending on the late summer and early fall weather.

Garlic is a carefree, healthy crop if a few basic, common sense gardening steps are taken. There is no secret or mystery to growing a bountiful crop for home use or market.

Learn more about this author, Greg Spinks.
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