Plant garlic now to overwinter

By Kathy Hatfield
Gardening Columnist

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As you're sorting through catalogs and deciding which flower bulbs to plant this fall, don't forget an indispensable edible: garlic!

Not only does garlic add zest to your cooking, but it also has notable health benefits. Garlic contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin C. If eaten raw or in a dried and powdered form, garlic may lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood. It may also possess antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Now is a great time to plant garlic. Though it can handle cold, and garlic may grow a bit during cold and even freezing temperatures, it needs to be in the ground before the soil starts to freeze.

Choose good quality garlic; the bulbs from the grocery store often do not grow as well as those from a garden center or garlic producer. Separate the bulb into individual cloves, keeping the largest cloves for planting and saving the smaller ones for cooking.

There are numerous types of garlic, and no one type is perfect for everything, so most garlic lovers plant several different kinds. Basically, hardneck types will keep for several months, have fewer, but larger cloves, and are easier to peel than the softneck types. Some people think the hardnecks have superior flavor.

Softnecks have smaller cloves than hardnecks, and because their papery wrappers cling tightly to the clove, they are harder to peel, but they keep longer. Softnecks are also preferred for braiding.

Elephant garlic is not a true garlic, but a leek, and because it is a large bulb and mild-flavored, it is often preferred for roasting.

Like most garden vegetables, garlic does best in fertile, well-drained soil. Choose an area in full sun and add compost or well-rotted manure to improve the organic content and texture of the soil. Power-till or spade the soil to mix in the organic matter and to loosen the soil so that the garlic roots can easily penetrate it.

Plant individual cloves so that the top of the clove is 2 to 3 inches deep, with the flat side down and pointed end up. Larger cloves, such as those of elephant garlic, can be planted deeper than smaller ones. Cloves should be spaced about 6 inches apart to give them room to grow large. If you are planting more than one row of garlic, space the rows 2 to 3 feet apart so that you have ample room to weed between them. Cover the cloves with soil and water thoroughly.

To retain soil moisture, reduce weed growth, and protect the garlic from drying winter winds, mulch with straw, grass clippings or chopped leaves. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy, all winter.

A good foliar fertilizer of fish or seaweed emulsion can be applied in the spring when the garlic starts to grow. Stop fertilizing by late May or early June so that the plant's energy goes into producing large bulbs rather than lots of foliage. Towards the end of June you should also cut back on watering. Too much water can cause moldy bulbs.

Once the leaves begin to turn brown and the stems collapse, your garlic is ready to harvest. If left in the ground much past this point, the bulbs will rot.

You can use your harvested garlic immediately, or you can cure it for storage. To cure, do not wash the garlic; this will only add to potential mold problems. Hang small bunches upside down in a cool, well-ventilated place where they won't freeze or receive direct sunlight. Leave them there for two or three weeks, until they feel dry. Store them in a ceramic garlic keeper or a mesh bag, but not in the refrigerator.

If you're unsure of what kinds of garlic to plant, need recipes, or have any questions about garlic, check out the web site of Yucca Ridge Farm in Fort Collins at thegarlicstore.com/index.cgi/INDEX.HTML. It has dozens of different garlic varieties as well as a wealth of information for both beginning and experienced garlic growers.

Here's a great way to use some of that garlic you'll enjoy next spring.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic has a buttery texture. Spread it on a slice of toasted bread or blend it with cream cheese and fresh herbs for a tasty appetizer.

• 1 large bulb of garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chicken broth

Remove as much of the outer papery wrapping as you can without separating the cloves. Slice enough of the top off the garlic bulb to expose the garlic inside. Place in a baking dish. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the chicken broth into the baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour, basting occasionally. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.