Tags:

Growing Practices: No Pesticides No Herbicides No Fungicides No Synthetic Fertilizers

Latin Name: Allium Sativum

Days to Maturity: 300

Description:

Originally from Germany, Music Garlic was brought from Italy through Canada by Al Music. This Porcelain garlic is easy to grow in cold temperatures and very hardy. Harvested in late summer, they produce large bulbs containing 4 to 5 huge cloves. Clove wrappers have an attractive purple color. Stores well into mid-winter. Very rich taste with medium heat. Spicy raw but mellows to a balanced flavor when cooked. It also has a very high content of Allicin, which researchers believe is high in antioxidants.

Growing Tips:

Once you've received your garlic seed, if you cannot plant immediately, store in a cool dark area prior to planting. Preferred temperature should be under 60 degrees and above 45. Most basements or cellars work perfectly. If you don't have access to either, a cooler in your garage, crawl space or shed will work as well.
If you're ready to get planting, start by breaking, cracking, or separating your garlic bulbs into cloves. There can be anywhere from 4 to 12 cloves per bulb depending on the cultivar. Peel the outer layers of skin back as best you can from each bulb and break it apart using your hands or a dull tool. You don't want to damage the clove as it can lead to potential disease or contamination. This can be a time consuming process. It can take as long as an hour to break apart 10lbs of garlic.
Once your cloves are broken, they can be planted immediately. Some farms like to soak their cloves overnight in a variety of manners. At OnPoint Organics, we've chosen not to soak ours. Place them in a labeled bucket, especially if you plan to plant more than one variety of garlic.
Once you have your garden planned out with number of beds and rows, be sure to identify your rows to show each specific variety. You will want to plant each clove 6-8" apart with the pointed end of each clove facing upward at a depth of 2-4". Once each row is planted, you can use a metal rake or your hands to cover the holes in each row with dirt. This is a good time to fertilize also if you decide to do so. Once you determine which mulch you will be using, this will be your final step in the planting process. If using straw, be sure to put a 2-6" of chopped straw over each row.