Have never grown garlic, but I want to know how to. I am anxious to hear your result. Please keep us informed!

Sort of like using garlic chives?

Green Garlic is preferred by some. In hotter climates it is harder to hold over simply because the garlic likes cooler temps (plant in fall here for spring harvest). Why not experiment and try some in a shadier location and see if that works for you?

Great suggestion! I still have some garlic in storage from last year's garden. Most of it has started to go green, but I couldn't bring myself to throw it in the compost pile. I guess I'll plant it and see what happens!

Thanks!
-Diggity

jmpete,

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

The green garlic was indeed very tasty while it lasted. As someone said above, it evidently doesn't like hot weather, and so appears to have died or gone dormant. I will definitely be doing this in the fall.

If you plant garlic in the traditional way (fall, to harvest the following summer) be sure to harvest the new scapes that appear in late spring! These are delicious and should be removed anyway for a bigger, better bulb harvest.