Garlic

Sowing: Garlic is grown from individual cloves rather than seed, planted 6 to 8 inches apart and 2 to 3 inches deep in loose, fertile, well-drained soil in full sun, with mulch to suppress weed competition. Cloves are typically planted in autumn, needing at least 4 to 6 weeks to establish roots before the ground freezes, for a harvest the following late spring to early summer.

Ongoing care: Watering should be reduced as harvest approaches to prevent bulb rot, and removing the flower stalk, or scape, encourages a larger bulb.

Garlic can develop bulb rot when grown in soils that stay too wet, and bulb mites may attack the crop. Handling the plant can cause contact dermatitis in some people, so gloves are recommended when working with it.

Harvest: Bulbs are dug once about half of the leaves have turned brown, then cured in a warm, dry place out of direct sun until the foliage dries completely, at which point the leaves, roots, and outer wrapping can be trimmed away.

Storage: Cured bulbs keep best with cloves left intact and stored in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated spot such as a mesh bag, not sealed in plastic or refrigerated, and quality generally holds for three to six months; shriveling or sprouting signals declining quality rather than spoilage, and any bitter green sprout should be removed before use. Bulbs, whole cloves, or chopped cloves can also be frozen for three to four months, and garlic held in oil at room temperature poses a botulism risk from soil-borne Clostridium botulinum spores, so oil infusions should be refrigerated and used within about a week.

Culinary: The bulb is eaten raw or cooked and used to flavor a wide range of dishes across many cuisines, while the flowers and young leaves can also be eaten in small quantities, raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked in soups and tea.

Medicinal: Garlic has a long history as a traditional remedy, having been used within Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese, and European healing systems, and ancient Greek and Roman sources describe its use for stomach and nervous system complaints, as an antiseptic for wounds, and for respiratory ailments.

Garlic is native to Central Asia, northeastern Iran, and the foothills of the Himalayas, and is thought to have developed from a wild ancestor, Allium longicuspis, in a mountainous region sometimes called the "garlic crescent" running from the Caucasus through the Kopet Dagh, Hindu Kush, Pamir, and Tien Shan ranges. From this area it spread into early civilizations including the Babylonians, Egyptians, Romans, and Chinese, and later moved into Mediterranean and continental Europe, where exposure to different climates is thought to have contributed to the diversification of its varieties. The crop has lost the ability to produce fertile seed and has long been propagated solely from cloves, a trait tied to its extended history under cultivation.