Not only is the act of gardening good for you, but the plants you harvest and eat are also, and garlic is no exception. Currently it is widely used for conditions linked to the blood system, heart disease and attacks, cholesterol and hypertension.
Eating it raw on an empty stomach is meant to be best, as the allicin, the active component that helps with blood pressure and cholesterol, is diluted when cooked. But for that great taste, texture, and those close to us, cooking with garlic is a great option.
As most imported garlic is fumigated using methyl bromide, which is as nasty as it sounds, why not grow them yourself, as now is the time to plant them. Here are a few steps to help with that.
Garlic likes light fluffy soil. If you have clay as we do, add organic straw, even some sand for aeration, and dig it in.
As it has started to rain again, and again and again, you may want to add some soil to the beds, lifting if away from the ground water, as garlic could rot sitting in water.
It prefers soil that is neutral to slightly alkaline. You can add to your soil to address this, or just go for it and see what happens.
Divide the bulbs into individual cloves and put them in the fridge for 24 hours. Then soak in a seaweed solution for a few hours.
They will need about 6 – 8 hours of sunlight, so plant them somewhere where the sun does shine.
Plant them just below the surface so the pointy end is facing up. Cloves should be about 20cm apart. Once done, sprinkle over the top a light layer of mulch.
Liquid feed them every 2-4 weeks and watch what happens over the next 8 months or so.
Enjoy
Peter