Grow garlic–it’s so easy

A few days ago, my dad and uncle came by to look at our new entry door. Uncle Norman saw garlic growing in our raised bed and pots and asked dad if they were some kind of winter onion (he got the plant family right! Allium). Dad told him they’re garlic, and my uncle couldn’t figure out why we’d grow so much.

Happy garlic grows all winter long in our raised bed.

I’ve got news for him: I plan on growing even more next year!

Why grow garlic?

First of all, it is ridiculously easy to grow. Plant the cloves in the fall, mulch if you’d like or do like me and grow a hardy variety, and wait. If you grow garlic in the ground, you might have some extra steps, but that’s basically it. Late next summer, you’ll have garlic–one bulb for every clove.

We grow garlic because it is easy, but also because it’s so much cheaper and tastier than store bought. Buy one bulb, grow 10+ that you can eat fresh, dry, ferment, or replant for a continuous cycle of garlic.

Finally, we use A LOT:

• Alfredo sauce
• Spaghetti sauce
• Cream peas
• Chili
• BBQ sauce
• Omelets
• Hot sauce (big garlic user)
• Homemade mustard (big garlic user)
• Honey-fermented garlic cloves (biggest garlic user)
• Dry and grind for powder
• … and more

Seriously: grow garlic. There’s nothing to it. You can even plant some varieties this spring for a late-summer harvest!