As we start to bring in the harvest from our gardens, we begin looking forward to next season. We start cleaning off garden space, working up the ground and preparing to plant.

One of the most popular vegetables to raise is garlic. Many in our area raise garlic, making beautiful braids to dry and store for later use. Garlic (allium sativum) is a member of the allium family that also includes onions, shallots, scallions and leeks. It is planted in the fall to allow time for good root development necessary for next season’s yield. This establishes a head start that each clove needs for the next season.

There are many kinds of garlic, but soft-neck and hard-neck are the two kinds that are planted in colder climates. Soft-neck does not send up a seed stalk, though this variety is more produc

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