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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!we13!ihnp4!zehntel!dual!decwrl!rhea!wagon!rockefeller
From: rockefeller@wagon.DEC
Newsgroups: net.garden
Subject: Re: garlic, YUMM!
Message-ID: <7165@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Apr-84 15:44:13 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.7165
Posted: Tue Apr 17 15:44:13 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Apr-84 19:06:37 EST
Organization: DEC Engineering Network
Lines: 32

Yes, Dave Holt is right about garlic.  It is very easy to grow, making 
it very rewarding.  I just want to add a couple of things.  First,
the culture.  Garlic MUST (absolutely, positively MUST) be kept
well-weeded, as must other plants of its family (onions, leeks,
shallots).  All have very shallow root systems, and weeds can crowd
them out or stunt them all too easily.  Weed the garlic and keep it 
watered (don't let the ground dry out to the point that the leaves
droop) and you should get a good crop.  Pests don't bother garlic; in
fact, it can help keep pests off other plants nearby.  I don't have a
list of companion plants with me at the moment, but if anyone is
interested, I'll post one. 

Second, planting time.  If you live in a relatively short season area
as I do (north central Massachusetts), try planting garlic in October.
Just buy a head of garlic at the grocery store and separate it into
cloves.  Plant the cloves shallowly (about a half-inch down) a few
inches apart, and that's it until spring.  They will start to grow
very early in spring, giving them a head start on the weeds.  By the
time weeds try to take over, the garlic leaves will be large enough to
mark the plant's position, making weeding easier. The garlic bulbs
will be ready to harvest in late July or August. 

About eating the garlic leaves - try planting a clove or two in a 
small flower pot on a window sill.  That way, you'll have the leaves 
to use year 'round as a pot herb for flavoring omelets, stir fried 
vegetables, and what-have-you.


			Linda Rockefeller
			DEC, So. Lawrence, MA
			(617) 689-6058
			...decvax!decwrl!rhea!wagon!rockefeller