I can easily say that garlic is used by many of us to cook with. In my kitchen I have a special spot just for garlic, onions, and shallots, which I keep far away from potatoes. You may ask why? Potatoes and onions do not like to be near each other since they cause each other to spoil faster. Onions release a gas which speeds up the ripening in potatoes, while potatoes release moisture which causes onion to rot and get moldy. Garlic has the same effect as onions on potatoes, which is why I keep them together. Plus I figure they are in the same family, they should stick together.
Potatoes get to hang out with sweet potatoes in my kitchen and they seem to get along well, far away from onion and garlic. Potatoes and onions and garlic have no problem growing next to each other. They just change their mind about their relationship when they get to the kitchen.
Funny thing, though – potatoes, garlic, and onions taste good together. So there is hope for all relationships.
Growing garlic in your garden is very easy. Don’t you just love to hear something is easy?! You simply buy softneck garlic, which is a kind of variety of garlic that does better in Southern California. The other variety is called hardneck garlic and it prefers cooler climates. Hardneck garlic usually has a scape (stem in the middle), the cloves are large, there’s a stinging flavor, and it’s easy to peel. Softneck, the one you want, doesn’t have a scape, the stem is flexible and easy for braiding/hanging, there is more clover per bulb, and it can store for a longer time.
So remember to pick the softneck garlic for planting.
One of the many things that makes garlic so great to have in your garden is that it keeps bugs away from your plants, and it doesn’t take up a lot of room. Just break out the cloves, and plant one clove still covered by the papery skin in your garden. Simple, right!? You could also plant the garlic you get at the store, just make sure to pick the organic one that looks healthy and unbridled. Once the leaves die down on your garlic plant, you know that it is ready for harvest But it will take some months to grow (somewhere around summer months), so relax and enjoy the little garden protectors.
The garlic family also has garlic chives. It is a small plant, the leaves are edible, and it’s easy to seed on its own. The plant is great to grow near fruit trees to keep bugs away from the tree. And if you do not have any garlic and that recipe you are cooking today is asking for some, garlic chives can be your mild substitute. Plus it will survive drought no problem. I have them planted under my citrus trees. They do not take much room, but bugs seem to stay away from the trees. And my oranges do not taste like garlic.
There is also a decorative garlic plant called “society” that has a pretty light purple flower that blooms for a long period of time. That garlic plant does better when the flowers are regularly deadheaded (removal of already dead flowers to conserve the plant’s energy for the new blossoms only.) I try to deadhead once a week, just like I do roses. There are two types of society plants: one with green leaves and one with variegated leaves (white stripes). The variety with green leaves grows faster and will spread quickly when given more water. The variegated type is much smaller in comparison. However, both are great additions to the garden.
They can be nicely combined with roses and they can help keep common bugs at bay. Especially aphids that love to bother roses. I have noticed a significant improvement with my Iceberg roses since I planted Society garlic plants between them.
Additionally, onions planted in November will also give you larger bulbs. You can plant them from seeds, seedlings, or small bulbs. Planting onion in the garden has a lot of the same benefits that planting garlic has.
November is a great time to plant any garlic and onion plants that I have mentioned here. So go out there, plant, and Happy Gardening!
Joanna Kotwis
