How to grow garlic from garlic seed in your organic garden

Why does nobody grow garlic from seed? Why do we always start it from garlic cloves? Ignorance. Or rather, because gardening authors have always echoed each other’s fable, that garlic seed is always sterile. Garlic can only be grown reliably from bulbs, or rather from cloves broken from the bulb, they say. Wrong!

This is akin to the mindset by which, until the late 18th century, nobody ate runner beans because ‘everyone knew’ they were intended to be flowers. Likewise, the first man to eat a tomato in public did so as a risky stunt before an awed audience. ‘Everyone knew’ until recent times that tomatoes were poisonous.

Garlic seeds are far more productive than cloves

It has taken the Japanese of late to prove that garlic bulbules, the little bulbs in the seed head, can be grown into fat garlic bulbs, as much as ten times more efficiently than using cloves. A typical garlic bulb of the kind we normally break apart to grow into more bulbs may hold little more than twelve viable cloves. But its seed head will have around 100 bulbules. Some varieties produce up to 300. Even if only half the bulbules germinate, that’s a fivefold increase in production.

The method is simplicity itself. Garlic is left to go to seed. The heads in autumn are brought indoors and stored at typical room temperature, around 65oF. In May, they are broken apart to give up to 100 little bulbules. Each bulbule is planted in a small pot in normal potting compost and reared in a greenhouse or cold frame (45oF-80oF), and kept well watered, much as you would any plant.

Those that germinate at all fatten up like onion sets and are planted out in fall. They yield big garlic bulbs next summer, indistinguishable from the type grown from cloves, it’s said. Dry garlic bulbules are far easier to store and transport than cloves. Cloves often rot or dry out over winter. But seeds can be put in the freezer in an air-tight jar, along with silica gel to reduce their moisture, and they will stay viable almost indefinitely.

Not only can they give you far more produce than cloves, they also yield you two crops, because the original mother bulb, though small, can still flavour your cooking.

Secrets for success

Garlic has been grown for food since the dawn of Man. So, if the method is so easy, why has the notion of propagating it from seed received virtually no mention in gardening literature since the time of Pliny? (He described the method around AD70.)

True, William Cobbett in 1829 acknowledged that garlic seed was sometimes viable but, with typical perversity, he then dismissed the notion. Many farmers over the millennia must have tried the experiment. Yet it seems, most failed. Or failed to report it. Why?

Perhaps the success of this method depends on two factors which were previously not understood: the selection of the right varieties and the need to vernalise the cloves. Only hard-neck varieties of common garlic Allium sativum will reliably throw up viable seed heads and only after the cloves have been vernalised ie. over-wintered for several weeks at just above freezing point. (Today, we can do the job in a refrigerator.)

If such cloves are set out in early spring, they will often go to seed by summer. Then the seed, some of which may well be viable, can be saved and re-sown the following year in the same manner as onion seed.

The first season’s plants will each set one bulb. This can be left in the soil. Any seed head that emerges the first year must immediately be cut off at the base. The seed will be worthless. The bulb will then divide into cloves of normal appearance and habit the following year.

These cloves can be eaten – or planted to produce seed heads as above.

How did the myth that garlic seed is sterile begin?

So how did the myth begin, that garlic seed is always sterile? Soft-neck garlic, of the sort sown from cloves in spring, will sometimes throw up seed heads the same year. But these seeds, like those of most biennials that bolt prematurely in their first year, are sterile.

And it was this soft-neck kind that farmers down the ages invariably favoured, because it stores far better over winter than the hard-neck kind. Had such farmers persisted with the hard-necked kind (or read Pliny), we might today be able to buy true garlic seed, as opposed to cloves, at any garden centre.

Do note: common garlic should not be confused with Elephant, African or great-headed garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) which frequently produces viable seed. It is not garlic at all, but a variety of leek.

Try the experiment, using a hard-necked garlic variety. If only some of your seed heads produce viable seed, you have a new and exciting way of propagating garlic that’s far more efficient than using cloves.

For a free big 6000-word ebook Lazy Secrets for Natural Gardening Success, brimming with new gardening tips, go to: http://www.gardeningguild.org/lazy

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Basics of Organic Gardening Foods

Folk are seriously thinking on this and so planning to change to organic products that have plenty of benefits.

One can also grow their own ecological garden at home and produce some fresh plants free from chemicals. Before planning to begin an eco-friendly garden, few basics need to be accepted by each amateur. The largest advantage in doing ecological gardening is that it needs less upkeep, less time and cost. By accepting few tenets and with aid from some basic recommendation anybody can start eco-friendly gardening.

the 1st critical thing should be considered for planning an ecological garden is soil. The soil intended for the ecological gardening must be healthy. One must testify the soil from a recognized soil lab before it is being utilized for the ecological gardening. The Soil gurus test the soil and will give you guarantee about the standard of the soil and whether it can be employed or not.

Next step in the direction of ecological gardening is adding nutriments to the soil like organic manure and so on. One the most vital nutriments that should be added to the soil are compost. The compost can be prepared in our garden or can be acquired from the market. There are some methodologies for choosing the best compost ; the fast compost is the hottest. By utilizing fast composting method the soil gets prepared inside 6 to 8 weeks.

The other systems of compost consume bunch of time, so fast composting is advocated. Ploughing of the soil is done after the soil is prepared for use. One can go for the choice to until soil by hand or use technology like Machines. After the soil has been ploughed, next step is to sow the garden with organic seeds. The final step is controlling those weeds and pests by employing pesticides, organic pesticides and herbicides.

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Why You Should Choose Organic Gardening

The term ‘organic’ is becoming more and more popular today. You see organic clothing, foods, even organic bedding.  Entire stores are devoted to organic products and books about the subject are available everywhere. So why is there such an interest in all things organic these days?

People are starting to realize just how harmful chemicals are to our bodies and our environment. When pesticides and other chemicals were first being used in farming and home gardens, people sang their praises. But after years of use, we are seeing the negative side effects of using too many chemicals. This is not to say that all chemicals and pesticides are bad, they have their place when necessary. However, sole dependence on chemical pesticides and over use of these products has created soils that cannot sustain crops.  In addition, many of these chemicals leach into our water supply and the food we eat, creating a multitude of health problems.  

So what can the home gardener do to combat the effects of chemicals in the yard? There are several things. First of all, you can make the decision to use natural products in your garden. You can do this slowly or all at once. Many gardeners use organic products in most of their yard work, but chemicals for the really tough weed and pest issues.  You will find that over time, you will rely less and less on the chemicals as your natural methods take control of insects and weeds.

One of the easiest ways to begin natural pest control is to introduce beneficial insects into your garden. Insects like lady bugs, praying mantis, and parasitic wasps are beneficial to the yard because they feed on the bad bugs.  Lady bugs find aphids delicious and parasitic wasps lay their eggs on the backs of the tomato horn worm, then the hatching larvae eat the worm.  These beneficial insects used to be found naturally in most gardens however pesticides that are used to get rid of harmful insects also kill and drive away the good ones. If you put beneficial insects in your garden, make sure you don’t use chemical pesticides as well.  

Another good method to keep away bugs is by using a simple solution of water and liquid dish soap.  Simply put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray the leaves of your flowers and other foliage. The soapy mixture is a great aphid repellant and it also keeps other bugs at bay.

For natural weed control, you will find that by using thick mulch around plants and trees. Bark or rock can be used, but keep in mind that bark is a natural material and it will break down over time so it will need to be replenished every year.  Thick ground covers are also a good way to keep weeding to a minimum. Try to find plants that are native to your area and are not prone to overtaking the yard. Many times when you plant a ground cover, it tends to overgrow its boundaries.   Planting your shrubs and flowers close together can also help to keeps weed growth down. Plant that grow in an attractive, close knit pattern leave little bare ground and light for weeds to germinate.  

As you become more familiar with natural gardening methods, doing it the organic way will be easy. You don’t always have to use chemicals to grow a great garden, just do it the way nature intended!

Step by step instructions on making a self-watering container for less than . For more information, check out www.UrbanOrganicGardener.com

This is another update on my garden progress so far. Veggies are coming!! I am growing tomatoes, bell pepper, hot banana peppers, pole beans, cucumber, jalapeno peppers, cayenne peppers, lettuce, collards, basil, thyme, parsley, dill, onions, chives, and strawberry. Some are potted, and some are in my small garden. Updates available now.

How to Fight Insects & Bugs by Creating an Organic Garden

How’s your garden doing? Is it rich and thriving or are you constantly dealing with pest insects and bugs? Are you spending more money than you want buying chemical fertilizers and pest-be-gone substances from the garden store? Are the weeds the only thing thriving?

Perhaps it’s time to take a look at a natural, and ultimately more effective (and environmentally friendly) way to rid your garden of detrimental bugs and insects.

Most people only think about pest control when they are already having problems. Unfortunately, it’s often harder to eradicate an existing problem than to prevent one from taking root in the first place. You can go a long ways toward creating a pest-insect-free lawn or garden by following some simple steps. None of these steps include using unnatural, man-made substances in your garden.

First, it’s important to realize that insects attack weak, diseased plants. They’re “nature’s pruners” in a way. On the other hand, strong and healthy plants can often resist insect attacks. It’s a bit like how your immune system, when strong and healthy, can thwart many parasites that would cripple someone with a weakened immune system.

So, how do you grow healthy plants with good “immune systems”?

Believe it or not, much of it boils down to the soil. Find out what kind of soil is optimal for the plants you want to grow and take steps to create that environment. For instance, some plants require more nitrogen in the soil than others. By knowing your plants’ nutritional preferences, you can create stronger healthier plants that resist insects more readily.

Here are some resources you can apply over the years to create organic rich soil without using chemicals or unnatural means:

1. Make your own compost, and spread it to an eventual depth of 1 foot.

2. Use natural microbial fertilizers (i.e. Ringer Restore).

3. Apply composted cow manure

4. Use steamed bone meal or ground rock phosphate for phosphorus sources.

5. Try cottonseed or soybean meal for nitrogen sources

6. Apply green manure and mulches

7. Use granite dust or green sand, which interact with a high organic matter content in your soil, creating a potassium source.

Try some or all of these natural techniques for creating rich soil and a healthy, pest-free garden.

You may be noting that I included all organic resources. What about chemical fertilizers and the variety of concoctions you can buy from the garden store?

Before you consider those manmade resources, consider that soil isn’t just dead, inert particles. It also contains living micro-organisms, fungi, bacteria, etc.. The chemical fertilizers kill soil micro-organisms (the good along with the bad) and contribute to nitrate contamination of surface water and water wells.

Why contribute to a problem that is growing steadily worse: adding toxins to the water we need for daily use? It’s not worth it when you can develop nutrient-rich soil naturally. Just be patient. A good garden, and good soil, is something that will take many seasons to perfect.

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