You can use good-sized corms from your last harvest or purchase organic garlic from a number of suppliers. A friend has even used shop-bought Australian-grown garlic, pulled apart the cloves and planted them with good results.
Isn't garlic gorgeous!
I plant mine around 10 cm apart, in rows about 30 cm apart.
Simply leave them and they are ready to harvest late next spring or early summer depending on your climate. The redoubtable Peter Cundall has some excellent tips here.
Then use them for this delicious recipe for mushrooms with lemon and garlic from the always reliable Gourmet Farmer, Mathew Evans.
It's also good to plant around roses to control aphids and other pests.
As well as being delicious (I reckon nearly everything bar porridge tastes better with garlic and I'm working on this), it's also great for your chooks.
A piece of crushed garlic in their fresh water will help them combat any intestinal parasite problems the girls may have and so far I've not noticed any taste seeping into the eggs they lay.
The dried stems and leaves of the garlic plant after harvesting can also be strewn in their coop to deter fleas and other insects.
And for us, many health benefits can be enjoyed from garlic - including lower blood pressure. Repelling vampires? The jury is still out.
Meanwhile, growing garlic is so easy everyone should have a few bulbs in their garden.
More information about this 'fragrant rose' as garlic is also known can be found at the Australian Garlic Industry Association (AGIA) website.
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