On The Wild Side

Christine Schoenemann (Maccabee) Garlic: The Queen of My Garden Have you planted your garlic cloves yet? It’s not too late, but the sooner the better. I must still clean out a tomato bed in order to make room for mine, so don’t feel bad if you haven’t started yet. I do my best to get about fifty of the biggest cloves from this past June’s harvest planted by early October, so they can get roots started before the frost. The roots are essential so the cloves do not rot over winter, at least that is my theory. By the time the snow falls, I usually have at least an inch of lovely green tops sticking up through the mulch. Don’t worry, garlic cloves can endure the cold winter since they are hardy bulbs, much like our lovely daffodils, jonquils, and crocuses. Indeed, garlic is the queen of my garden as it demands to be planted every autumn no matter how busy I am. Not every gardener likes to grow garlic, but I have spoken to a good many folks who would like to but are not sure how to go about it. Perhaps the following garlic tale will inspire you to try. Years ago, I lived in the outskirts of Morgantown, West Virginia, where many people had large gardens. On one of my daily hikes from town to home (I did not own a car back then), I took a different route and came upon a sizable field of something wonderfully green. Curious, I knocked on the door of the small cottage next to the field, and an elderly gentleman appeared. Conversation came easily as he gladly shared some tips about growing garlic. Garlic! I never would have guessed, as I was a novice gardener at the time, and so I stood there both amazed and eager to learn. He told me that the secret to growing garlic successfully is to plant it in early autumn. I cannot remember all he told me, but whatever he said inspired me to try it myself. Over the years, learning through books and my own intuition, I have developed a simple method of planting that I will share with you. I simply loosen the rows with a hoe and then push each clove down into the soil, about one inch, with the tops barely showing, or not at all. I mark the rows so I can then put straw or grass clippings in between the rows, adding a little chicken manure if I have it. Simple. Garlic is a well-known healing agent, with anti-bacterial and even anti-fungal properties; it may even lower cholesterol levels. If you have goats, add it to their feed if they have worms, and the worms will disappear. I tried that with my goats years ago and it worked! I wonder if it would help cats and dogs? Personally, I love it in just about everything I cook; I sometimes just chew on it raw, and am certain I am healthier for it. Now, on to another garlic tale for all of you to chew on, lessons to be learned from an older and hopefully wiser woman… One year, I was truly late in planting all the garlic cloves I had intended to. By mid-October, I had only a fraction of the bed planted. However, stubborn as I am, I became resolved to get the rest in before cold weather. Following the weather patterns, as every gardener does, I knew that several days of rain were coming. Since the weather was still mild, I became determined to plant the rest of the bed before the rain. So, in the dim remnants of daylight that evening, I turned the soil and planted a few dozen cloves, finishing up another dozen with the help of a failing flashlight. Throwing some goat manure and straw between the rows, I hurried inside to cook a late dinner, satisfied that I had done a very good thing. Shortly thereafter, the rain started. Dinner never tasted so satisfying that evening, with garlic in the stew, of course. For me, garlic is the Queen of my Garden, a prima donna of sorts. She demands to be planted, even if the planting is after dark and with a failing flashlight! Yes, she rules my fall gardening with firm but kind authority. She is a must for all serious gardeners, and the results of your effort and patience will be a jewel in your crown. Christine is a Master Naturalist in the State of Maryland and welcomes any questions or stories of your own about gardening for food or for wildlife. She can be reached at [email protected]