Separate garlic into cloves before planting.
Garlic has been used to ward off illness since the time of the pyramids. Gravediggers in 18th century France drank a mixture of garlic and wine as protection from the plague, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. World War I and II soldiers took garlic to prevent gangrene. Garlic today is used to in the fight against heart disease, blood pressure and cholesterol, and to strengthen the immune system. Growing your own garlic for culinary or healing purposes is relatively easy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Mix 1 part moist peat moss, 1 part garden loam and 1 part compost or well-rotted manure to make a loose, friable soil, which garlic prefers.
2. Add 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer and 5 tbsp. lime per 1 bushel of soil mixture. Mix thoroughly.
3. Fill the container to within 2 inches of the rim with the soil mixture.
4. Plant garlic cloves in the fall after the first killing frost. Position the garlic cloves 2 inches below the surface of the soil, with the pointed end facing up. Use care to position the clove upright to encourage a strong, straight stalk.
5. Space garlic cloves 4 to 6 inches apart in all directions. When growing vegetables in containers, it is not necessary to allow for spacing between rows, as one would in the garden.
6. Water thoroughly until the excess runs freely through the drainage holes. Water once or twice a month until the soil freezes.
7. Allow the container to remain outside during the winter. Roots form in the fall before the ground freezes and shoots appear in early spring.
Tags: garlic cloves, cloves inches, garlic cloves inches, soil mixture