Use the outer cloves of a garlic bulb to grow new garlic plants.
There are two varieties of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Softneck garlic commonly is the grown for commercial production because it stores better than hardneck varieties. For climates such as those found in the northern Midwest, hardneck garlic is preferred because it is a cold-tolerant variety. Hardneck garlic produces a flower stalk. Hardneck garlic produces cloves in a bulb that clusters around the flower stalk. Since harneck garlic does not save well, it should be used soon after harvest. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. In fall, break up the ground with a spade to a depth of 12 inches in an area that has full sun and well-drained soil. If soil is too claylike in consistency, the bulbs will grow misshapen. Hardneck garlic may be planted in spring or fall.
2. Test the pH of your soil using a home pH testing kit. You can purchase a testing kit at many commercial garden centers. Garlic prefers a neutral pH of 7.
3. Spread a 4-inch layer of peat moss and compost over the soil. Organic amendments such as peat moss and compost will help to loosen and aerate soil. Add lime to raise the pH of soil that is acidic with a low pH. Mix these amendments into the soil with a rake.
4. Create drill holes for hardneck garlic that are 1 inch deep. Place these drill holes five inches apart in rows that are 18 inches apart.
5. Slip a garlic clove into each drill hole. Choose garlic cloves from the outer part of a bulb for planting. Inner cloves are less productive, but can be used for cooking. Purchase these cloves from a garden center rather than a grocery store. Grocery store cloves may have been treated to prevent sprouting. The pointed end of the clove should be pointed upward. Cover with soil and then 2 inches of straw to insulate the garlic through the winter.
6. Water garlic with the equivalent to 1 inch of rainwater weekly through the spring and summer months. Add a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) at a rate of 1 pound per 100 square feet in spring.
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