In northern Santa Clara Co., my tomato plants get hit by the first freeze in early Dec., so that's when I have space in the garden for garlic. I usually plant some of the garlic I've harvested in May/June (originally from farmers' market garlic, probably Calif. White). I don't break apart the bulb until I'm in the garden, where I plant the biggest cloves and eat/cook with the small ones. Most years I have enough to last until the next harvest.
Garlic does best in my garden in the sunniest (in winter) and most well-drained spot. I've had poor yields when I've planted it in other spots. I've talked to other local gardeners who moved their garlic around until they found the best spot.
I've tried other varieties of garlic a few times, either from the farmers' market or from Common Ground in Palo Alto. None of them have done as well as the Calif. White. I've been intending to try a whole bunch of other varieties, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
added: For grazing in the garden and for summer salads, I like to grow garlic chives. They're easy to grow from seed. I like to eat a leaf or two in the garden for a burst of mild garlic flavor. When they go into flower (mine are flowering now), you can eat the flowers, flower buds, and for a really intense flavor, the little bulblets that follow the flowers.
|