Urban Gardener Seeds in the city

By Karen Contreras

Do you remember that Meryl Streep and Robert Redford movie “Out of Africa”?  And Meryl starts the movie by telling the story of her farm? Then try to use Streep’s accent when you read this next line out loud. “I had a farm in Oregon.”.And when you say “Oregon,” try to pronounce it “Oareegone.” Oregon, that beautiful green state up north, where few of us Southern Californians venture for fear of rusting. We grew many crops on our farm in Oregon but my favorite was garlic. October is the month to plant garlic.
Garlic is a member of the onion family, whose pungent relatives include shallots, leeks and chives. It is native to central Asia, and its use for culinary and medicinal purposes dates back over 6,000 years. The Romans considered garlic a cure all, the Egyptians placed it in the tombs of their kings, and Transylvanians, of course, used it to ward off vampires. Unexplainably, garlic fell out of favor with our Western culture, to the point where dear Julia Child considered garlic “exotic, if not suspiciously foreign, probably subversive, and very certainly, lower-class.” Oh my!
I’m not sure why garlic got such a bad rap. It’s easy to grow, has few insect problems, it will “winter over” and keep wells for use throughout the year. There are three main varieties of garlic, “softneck,” “hardneck” and “elephant.” Elephant garlic, as you may guess, is much larger than other garlics and has a milder taste. Softneck varieties produce 6 to 18 cloves in several layers around a soft central stem. These garlics are great for braiding and have the best storage qualities. Hardneck varieties produce 5 to 10 cloves per bulb and grow in a single layer around a central woody stem. They come in a huge range of flavors and produce flower tops called “scapes” that are edible and delicious in stir fries.
To plant garlic, you will need a bulb of organic “seed” garlic, which you can acquire through several online seed companies, or a local nursery or Farmer’s Market. I prefer to order seed garlic online because there are dozens of garlics to choose from. Names like “Kazakhstan,” “Bavarian Purple,” “Mother of Pearl” or “Fireball” all with descriptions of tastes that rival those of fine wines, are but a few.
Garlic prefers rich, well-drained soil in full sun so choose your site carefully. Break the bulb into individual cloves and plant them in a bed prepared with well rotted compost or manure. Each clove will produce a new bulb. Push the clove, with the pointed tip up, into the soil to a depth of 2 inches. Plant 4 to 6 inches apart and water deeply. Garlic will sprout in about seven days.  When it is about 2” tall, mulch heavily to keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Do not over water garlic, but try to keep the soil evenly moist. Garlic is ready to harvest in the late spring or early summer when the first leaves start to yellow. Lift the bulbs from the ground and let them dry in the shade for a couple of days. Garlic may be used fresh or stored for later.
Additional things to plant this month include beets, carrots, chard, kale, parsnips, peas, fava beans, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and collards. Don’t forget to amend your soil.
Good gardening to you all.

Karen Contreras is the owner of Urban Plantations. She has been adding a bit of country to the neighborhoods of North Park, South Park and Golden Hill for the past few years. For answers to your gardening questions, you can e-mail Karen at: karen@urbanplantations.com.