I recently noticed that a nearly entire head of garlic I had purchased at the grocery store had begun to sprout: green spears coming out of every single clove. It made me remember something that is in "The Bountiful Container" about green garlic. The author, Rose Marie Nichols, says this is the easiest way to grow and the tastiest way to use garlic. You simply stick the cloves into the ground about 1 to 2 inches deep and water. Then, you can cut the green tops off and use them in cooking. She says this gives a milder garlic flavor and is a gourmet treat. I thought, Why not?, so I planted them around the edges of my tomatos. In three days, they had grown nearly six inches tall! Nichols says you can cut the green tops back up to five times before you kill the cloves, and then after that you can dig the cloves and use them, along with baby cloves that may have formed! I haven't cooked with them yet, but will let you know when I try them. This is such fun!

Thanks!
-Diggity

Garlic is ridiculously easy to grow! Just buy a head of garlic at the store, preferably organic--apparently conventional store-bought is sometimes treated to prevent sprouting. Break apart the cloves and plant them 4-6" deep, about 6" apart, in the fall. I plant around Halloween in my zone so it has a little time to root and send up a couple shoots before really cold weather arrives. Mine stays green the entire winter before really resuming growth in the spring. When all but a couple leaves turn brown, it's ready to harvest. Put it in a shady, dry place for a couple days to dry out, and it stores great. I've never tried cutting the greens, but have heard both they and the scapes (flowers) are tasty as well, and can be cut without losing the bulbs.

Definitely my easiest crop!

Lori