<p>This soft-necked garlic is the best for long storage and for braiding (leave the strong tops intact). This type can be successfully matured from early spring planting on the Coast - PLS ORDER BEFORE MARCH 01.</p><p>CULTURE: Garlic likes a rich, well-drained soil and will not do well in dense soils with low fertility. Plant garlic betwen September 1 and March 15 on the Coast (before and after the hard frosts). Separate the cloves and set each one, pointed end up, 10 cm apart and three times its size deep. Don't skin the cloves before planting. When spring growth begins, water as needed and fertilize by side dressing with a nitrogen rich fertilizer if growth is slow. As fall harvest approaches, water less frequently to prevent discoloration or mould. Cut off any flowering stems at the same height as the other leaves. This redirects plant energy into the developing bulb. <br>HARVEST: Harvest when the leaves begin to dry or when the tops lie down in mid to late summer. Pull them gently and air dry like onions--in a dry location with good air movement around them.</p><p>Garlic is said to have many beneficial medicinal uses, derived from its natural antibiotic and antibacterial properties. It is a basic ingredient of many Asian cuisines, as well as European. Garlic is not known as a wild plant, but is probably drived from Allium longicuspis Regel, a native of central Asia. It has been grown since the first Egyptian dynasty around 3200 BC. Garlic is propagated vegetatively as it does not set fertile seed.</p>
