Plant garlic now for summer bounty

The seasons are changing quickly now and this is reflected in the garden activities. We have just finished digging the last of our potatoes and we shall apply the maxim: "Don't leave the garden bed unattended to just grow weeds.'' So now is the ideal time to plant garlic.

The crop will take quite some time to grow and mature. In fact, if you can plant your garlic before the end of April, you are giving the little plants seven full months to produce a very good crop which will be harvested in the weeks before Christmas. By planting garlic in April you are giving the cloves enough time to sprout and get their root systems well developed before the very cold temperatures of winter arrive. This means the end product will be much enhanced; the garlic bulbs at harvest time will be much plumper.

Prepare your garden bed well. Dig in lots of finished compost but do not add any fresh manures. Hill up the bed to a height of 10 to 12 centimetres to ensure good drainage. The fibrous root system of garlic will seek out moisture and nutrients to a depth of at least 50-60 centimetres so a good deep garden bed is ideal.

If you can obtain good quality bulbs for planting, garlic production is pretty straightforward, apart from two major challenges. They are wet feet and weeds. Garlic bulbs will rot very quickly if they are sitting in boggy soil.

Garlic produces only slim leaves which will not serve to block out weeds, as do pumpkins and zucchinis. So if you are wanting to have a good quality harvest, be prepared to regularly weed and mulch your growing plants.

The new garlic bulb will develop strongly in late spring when the temperatures are rising. Keep the plants well mulched and water regularly to keep them growing and filling out the bulb. In the last weeks of November allow the plants to remain dry as the leaves finally dry out and the last nutrients are pulled back down into the bulb. Turn down the leaves to prevent them going to seed.

As with carrots, you can grow a good crop for the family in just one square metre. Plant the cloves deep enough to be able to cover the pointy end with 10 millimetres of soil. Space the cloves 8-10 centimetres apart along the row and allow 20 centimetres between rows. At this density you will have a harvest of some 60 bulbs per square metre. You will secure an average of eight to 10 large cloves a bulb so buy just eight to nine bulbs (i.e, about 400 grams) for every square metre plot you wish to plant out. The small remaining cloves are best used in the kitchen, as they would produce only a very small new plant.

You can purchase Australian-grown garlic bulbs for planting from local garden centres and by mail order. There are more than 30 varieties on offer, which can trace their origins back to several overseas countries. However, I would recommend sourcing from the main Canberra regional grower of biodynamic/organic garlic, so you can be assured the variety will grow well in Canberra.

Ingelara Farm, just south of Bredbo, is growing its garlic in rich, deep soil and has concentrated on producing the beautiful big Monaro purple garlic.

Staff are attending the weekly Saturday morning Farmers Market at EPIC and have ample supplies to buy for planting, apart from sales to home cooks.

Garlic varieties fall into two families, the soft-neck and the hard-neck varieties. The hard-neck varieties are the first to reach maturity and the bulbs are typically larger than the soft-neck types. However, the soft-neck garlics have a stronger flavour and can be stored for a longer period after harvest.

Monaro purple has a mild, but distinctive flavour. The attractive purple skin is quite easy to peel. This garlic can produce quite large bulbs which will be ready for harvest in late November if planted now.

One bonus with ''rocambole'' varieties of garlic, which include Monaro purple, is that the flower stem that loops over itself can be harvested and roasted in the oven with a little olive oil. This can be served as a vegetable.

The Australian white is a good soft-neck variety which will not sprout before the month of May, following the harvest. The cloves are somewhat smaller than the Monaro red but its flavour is good and strong. Harvest time for the soft-neck varieties can be four weeks later than the hard necks.

Italian white is another good soft neck garlic which can produce up to 15 cloves a bulb. It is an older variety for temperate regions which stores well.

Spicy sweet potato and pear soup

500g sweet potato

2 large beurre bosc pears

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp grapeseed oil

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp chilli powder

½ tsp paprika

4 cups vegetable stock

salt and pepper

Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small cubes. Peel, core and cube the pears. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the sweet potato, pears and spices and fry until browned. Add the stock and simmer until the sweet potato and pears are soft. Remove from heat and blend. Return to the stove and season with a little salt and pepper.

>> Owen Pidgeon runs the Loriendale Organic Orchard near Hall.