I have discovered that the things I tend to plant in the garden are things that have a piece of someone attached to them. Not literally, of course, but in the sense that there is a memory or a flavor, a smell or a shape that brings a flood of memories into my mind. Seeing as I grew up in the garden and was raised by different people at certain moments each in their own gardens, I have hundreds of memories in the garden and with food. Garlic is one of the most powerful memories for me. In my mind garlic is the equivalent to Grandpa Wood.
Grandpa Wood has been one of the most influential people in my life. He was practical, knowledgeable, wise, earthy, sustaining, unafraid, dignified, and tough. He loved to garden. He kept a salt shaker in the garden for any of us swiping a tomato to eat on the spot. He talked me through my first gardens, congratulated my triumphs, and taught me when I failed. When first married, we bought the house that Grandpa Wood was born in. Prior to our wedding, I cleared an area in the yard from trees and a friend tilled the untouched soil for me. A week after we were married, I planted that first garden. Grandpa was pleased, and tickled; I had great success and instantly was infatuated with the prospect of supplying our little household with some fresh produce. The gardens and knowledge both grew all with help from those few key people, but mostly Grandpa Wood.
One of his favorite things to grow was garlic. The smell of the earth mixed with garlic brings back the look on his face and his well weathered hands. I see his eyes examining the bulging bulbs and I know that my love for this potent vegetable came from something deep within him that he passed to me.
Growing garlic is quite simple. In the fall, cloves are planted about 4 to 6-inches deep and 6-inches apart in rows three cloves wide. They are topped with a 6-inch layer of leaf litter and compost to protect them from the bitter cold of winter. You may recall this last winter, I had to re-mulch the garlic three times thanks to the wind storms. Despite the wind, we were lucky, and 98% of the garlic planted came up. 300 heads, 9 different varieties, all from various locations in the world. I think part of my fascination with garlic is that it tells a story of the world. It is old and adapted to different areas and regions. Each type has a distinct aroma and taste; some are spicy, others mild. Asian garlic smells like Asia to me, I lived there as a child, and the distinctly pungent smell of Asian garlic brings Taiwan rushing back to my mind!
As garlic grows, it may or may not grow a scape. Hard-necked garlic grows a scape that should be cut off as soon as it appears, so that the garlic grows it's bulb not the flower. (Scapes are great in eggs or made into a pesto.) Soft neck garlic has no scape and stores longer than the hard neck types. When the leaves begin to yellow (I wait until about 1/3 to 1/2 of the leaves have yellowed), then it is time to dig. Gently lift the soil with a garden fork and pull out the glorious bulbs. We then wash our garlic and lay it out to dry or cure. After a day in the sun, we braid the soft neck garlics. After a few days in the sun, we cut off the leaves of the hard neck garlic and store them in a cool dry place.
If you want to grow garlic, the best thing to do is visit a farmer's market and gather a supply of garlic that you like. (Don't plant grocery store garlic, it is sprayed with a chemical to keep it from germinating.) I scour markets for different and unique varieties. This last year I fell in love with a type called Metichi that I bought from a farmer in Idaho. It is strong, extremely large, and purple striped. I also have a variety that I gathered from a farmer friend that he got from an old farmer in Idaho that no longer farms. The garlic was his passion and story and it now grows in my garden! (How exciting is that?) Once you have gathered your garlic, prepare a place to plant it and get it in the ground in October. Next summer you will have a spicy, pungent treat waiting for you in the garden. Oh, and the vampires will leave you alone, that in itself makes garlic worth planting!!!
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