Whether you're holding on to those last few hot sunny days or already fully embracing the pumpkin spice lattes and wool sweaters, one thing is for certain... it's that time of year again... FALL.
As we slowly begin to harvest and prep our gardens for the approaching winter, we're also getting ready to plant some garlic! That's right! GARLIC IS BACK!!! Perhaps one of the most simple and rewarding items you can plant in your garden, garlic is a universal flavor used in just about every aspect of cooking. But just because people say planting garlic is easy doesn't necessarily mean it's true. Just like any other crop, garlic requires a rich loose soil, water, compost or fertilizer for boosted nutrients, and time. Check out the video at the bottom of the post for the best walk through of how to prep, plant, and harvest your garlic.
When it comes to garlic there are two main families... soft neck and hard neck. Both are excellent choices with their own set of pros and cons. A few highlights of each are as follows.
Soft necks
Prefer slightly warmer climates
Generally not as hardy
Excellent for storing (9-12 month shelf life)
Many cloves in each head (results in generally smaller/medium cloves)
Milder flavor
Do not develop a scape
Easy to braid for curing
Hard necks
Do best in colder climates
Extremely winter hardy
Poor storers (6 month shelf life)
Fewer cloves in each head (results in generally larger cloves though)
Easier to peel
Stronger flavor
Develop scapes
Luckily, our climate is the perfect match between the two varieties of garlic to allow for ample production of both soft and hard necks. This year we've brought in an awesome selection of both including...
Organic Inchelium Red
Organic Early Italian Purple
Nootka Rose
Italian Late
Spanish Roja
And to top it all off... check out this video! It's the perfect walk through on how to prep, plant, and harvest your garlic. It's quick, informative, beautifully filmed, and a great refresher to watch. So hurry up and stop on by to grab some garlic!