Tony Fawcett’s tips for growing garlic in your garden

It’s been a while since flowers overtook garlic as the preferred bridal bouquet. But it is a brilliant ingredient to have on hand in your garden.

GARLIC has long been hailed as a miracle herb.

The builders of the pyramids ate it to boost strength; Greek brides carried bouquets of it to protect against evil spirits; and many still eat it in the belief it boosts sexual performance by increasing blood flow to the nether regions.

Garlic is said to help ward off colds and flu, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, and protect against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

When the coronavirus (COVID-19) first appeared in China, some natural healers even confidently claimed a good hit of various garlic concoctions would shield from the disease and even heal those already afflicted.

What a herb, you exclaim.

Sadly the World Health Organisation put paid to those claims, pointing out “garlic is a healthy food that may have some antimicrobial properties” but there’s no hard evidence eating it offers any coronavirus protection.

Unless, of course, you eat enough of this odoriferous herb to repel all from within a bull’s roar of you.

Despite this latest setback for garlic, I reckon there are still a lot of good reasons to include garlic in your menu, particularly when you shun all that imported, likely toxic methyl bromide-fumigated stuff, and grow your own.

There’s nothing quite like the pungent flavour of fresh garlic to bring alive prawns or seafood pasta, or take a roast of beef to new culinary heights.

For new gardeners, especially, garlic is a brilliant herb to grow first up.

It’s just so easy, and Victoria’s icy winters bring out its tasty best.

It is cheap and needs minimal area in which to grow, yields magnificently, demands little attention and, if planted now, will start to produce edible bulbs by the end of the year.

Even better, it can be easily stored, and keeps well for six months or more.

The key is growing it in good rich soil that drains well and receives plenty of sun.

Plant cloves with the pointy end up and the roots pointing down, ideally about four centimetres deep and 12-16cm apart.

Common mistakes new garlic growers make are planting at the wrong time of year, adding fresh manure to the soil, splitting bulbs into cloves too early before planting, not using certified healthy bulbs bought from reliable sources for the first planting, and either overwatering or under-watering during the growing phase.

Garlic bulbs are super-survival packages and will generally survive with just a few waterings pre-winter.

Shoots are quick to appear and winter rains will take over. Weed when needed and mulch to stop further weed growth and retain moisture in the soil.

Avoid watering in the few weeks before harvest because this is when bulbs are prone to rotting.

Some bulbs belonging to the hardneck group send up stems or “scapes” that often flower. These can either be left in place or snipped off.

The time to harvest is when plant tops start to yellow and show signs of drooping, generally about mid-December. If unsure of readiness, simply lift a bulb and check.

With more than 300 varieties, making choices can be difficult. Some good starters include Creoles, Turbans, Rocamboles and Silverskins.

Diseased-looking bulbs should be immediately destroyed.

Don’t wash harvested bulbs but simply brush off dirt clinging to them.

Garlic plants with bulbs attached can be tied in bunches of about 10 to a bunch and hung in a dry, airy spot indoors.

If feeling arty, braid softneck plants together before hanging.

After a few weeks when the bulbs have dried or cured, they can be snipped away from the foliage.

If you have produced a healthy first crop of bulbs, save a few for providing cloves for planting next autumn.

You might even hang a few around your home. Believers insist they’re naturals for warding off vampires.

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