Garlic is a power plant. The myths and lore surrounding it have been building up around the world for over seven millennia. It was so popular in ancient times that it is rumored to have triggered the first labor strike. During the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, the builders’ daily garlic ration was removed causing the workers to put down their tools in protest. It’s so powerful that there is a word – Alliumphobia – for those that fear it. Its influence is so strong, that some Hindu and Buddhist monks avoid it, so as not to stimulate their aggressive desires or be tempted by its aphrodisiac qualities. And it’s so celebrated that here in the Hudson Valley, we have a whole festival devoted it, and we’re not unique in that phenomenon. To the home gardener,
garlic is a gastronomic savior, an indispensable medicine in the home apothecary, and a fairly easy crop to grow.
One of the last planting tasks in the garden, at least here in the Northeast, is getting garlic in the ground. When you plant garlic in the fall, you are essentially putting it to bed since it needs a cold cycle to perform well. Read on to discover how much garlic to plant, how to choose a great location, and how and when to plant it.
Perhaps less legendary but just as worthy of fame are other fall-planted alliums, such as elephant garlic, delicious both raw and roasted, is in fact more closely related to leeks.
Shallots, technically a type of onion, has a highly-prized allium flavor and ever-so-convenient size. Growing them is quite similar to growing garlic, with slight differences which we'll cover.