Its almost time to plant garlic. Allium sativum L, is used, as a medicinal and culinary herb and is a hardy perennial plant that is native to southern Europe and closely related to onions and chives. Although garlic can be planted in fall or spring in our area, late October and early November are the best times to plant for harvesting by July, Garlic prefers fertile, well-drained soil as opposed to heavy clay soils that often result in misshapen or no bulbs whatsoever. Raised beds are great for growing garlic. Tucking garlic cloves into an already established bed is also a noble idea as garlic tends to discourage aphids, just make certain that there is plenty of sunlight.

Prepare the soil by digging and amending as necessary, Simply break apart the cloves and plant with the pointed end up about one to two inches deep and three to five inches apart. The larger cloves on the outer part of the bulb are the most successful.

Each clove will produce an entire garlic bulb at harvest time.

Because garlic has a relatively high demand for nitrogen, side dress the plants with a dash of 21-0-0 fertilizer (one pound per 100 sq, ft,) when the tops are about six to eight inches tall. Allow the plants to grow until the tops dry up and fall over. If they attempt to flower before the bulbs are mature, remove the flower stalks. Some varieties don't flower. Instead they produce a stalk of tiny bulb-lets, These should be cut off as well. Garlic can be pulled by hand when harvesting if the soil is loose, otherwise carefully dig them out. If the weather is dry they can be left out in the garden for a week to cure, otherwise bring them indoors to dry. Cut the tops off after they are dry leaving a half-inch on the neck of the bulb. Remove the roots. Store in open-mesh bags or any other way that allows good air circulation, lower temperatures (40 degrees) and humidity (below 70%),

Braiding garlic tops to make ornamental chains is a common practice used to store garlic. Make sure that soft-necked garlic is the type that has been planted, Italian Purple Skin, 'Silverskin', Gilroy', 'New York White', and 'Polish White' etc, are soft-necked garlics, German Extra-Hardy', Porcelain', 'Racambole' are stiff-necked garlics.

Usually the last crop to be planted in the fall garden, this flavorful and nutritious bulb is easy to grow and helpful in warding off vampires — a winwin situation.