Growing Garlic In Raised Beds Outdoors For Winter Harvesting

http://www.b2review.com/growing-garlic-in-raised-beds-outdoors-for-winter-harvesting/ Growing garlic is an inexpensive way to create hard-to-find garlic shoots and fresh bulbs year round in Zone 10. This garlic is growing in a 8" raised bed with organic compost that I created myself. The leaves on top of the soil are used as mulch and keep the moisture in and the weeds at bay. Planting Garlic In Raised Beds When you plant the garlic in the raised bed, keep the tips of the cloves up so the shoots will grow easily up and the roots will go down. In this case I planted the garlic about 6" apart in rows a few inches apart in September and October. The green garlic flavored shoots start to appear in a week or two and are a wonderful addition to salads, soups, and other dishes. Small animals seem to be very attracted to the garlic so take care to provide a barrier so the animals will not dig into the soil and eat your cloves. You can buy cloves from a reputable local nursery but I strongly suggest getting them from a friend who is already growing garlic. This way you can be sure the clove is fresh and has a greater chance of producing quality garlic in your area. There are both soft and hard stem varieties as well as different sizes so pick out the right cloves for your intended use. Using Garlic Garlic is used all over the world with China as the largest current producer. It has a delightful taste but for some, it may be hard on their system causing stomach pains and even said to cause back pain if eaten fresh and in large quantities. Garlic is also said to help prevent heart disease atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer. The shoots are eatable, seem to be easier on your system, and wonderfully flavored. I have also used fresh cut garlic to help remove warts due to it's anti-fungal properties which works reasonably well. Caution is said to be taken to prevent "garlic burn" on the skin. Garlic, with it's anti-fungal qualities has also been used to treat thrush in babies. Garlic flavored oils are a delightful addition to almost any chef's pantry and certainly it can be added to many dishes in American, British, Chinese, Mexican and other cuisines. Harvesting Garlic I am harvesting a few shoots every few days in the winter that we use in soups and salads however I expect it to take about another month or two before the garlic bulbs are ready to be taken from the soil.