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and care for garlic:

1.
In early autumn, separate bulbs into cloves. Plant the largest cloves 15-20cm apart and 3-5cm deep with the pointed ends up.

2.
Mulch the bed with straw to control weeds. Replenish mulch in spring. Keep the plants well watered through early summer.

3.
When flower stalks appear, remove them to direct plant energy to bulbs. Pull weeds out by hand to avoid disturbing the plants.

4.
When leaves turn yellow in midsummer, dig one bulb. If cloves separate easily, harvest. If not, harvest in one to two weeks. Do not leave the Garlic bulbs in the ground for more than two weeks after the leaves have browned because their papery coverings will deteriorate and the bulbs will eventually break apart, reducing their storage life.

Garlic leaves and flower stalks have a mild garlic flavor. Cut off flower stalks whenever they appear and chop and use them like shallots. Harvest leaves, which can be chopped and used like chives, sparingly. Taking too many leaves from one plant will result in smaller mature bulbs.

Buy healthy, firm bulbs from a garden center or nursery. Garlic cloves should be large and fleshy. Avoid small, dry or mushy Garlic bulbs. Do not buy grocery-store bulbs as they are generally treated to prevent sprouting.

Grow garlic in a site that receives full sun, which means at least six hours per day.
Garlic also grows best in soil enriched with organic matter. To keep the soil loose, do not step on it after planting.

Prepare Garlic for storage to tying bulbs in bundles and keeping in a dark, hot, and dry place for two to three weeks. To store Garlic, trim leaves and place bulbs in mesh bags in a well-ventilated place at room temperature.

Wire worms, segmented, shiny, 3 cm, orange worms, can chew through Garlic bulbs. Do not plant Garlic where Onions have been grown for two years or where lawn grass has just been removed. Trap worms by burying pieces of Potato for five days; dig up and destroy infested Potato traps.

Learn more about this author, Janette Peel.
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