In Central European folk belief garlic will ward off werewolves, vampires and demons. Some still believe this today (and to be honest, i’d try it if in such dire circumstance), but most just love how garlic tastes. Whether you need it to stock up on werewolf protection or just to fill your cabinet and flavor your meals most people don’t realize that garlic can be grown (in your own garden!) to return year after year. Here’s how:

How to Plant Perennial Garlic

Make sure when planting your garlic that you give each seed adequate space to grow. Plant them pointy side up within an area that gets plenty of sunlight throughout the day. Not only does garlic love sun, but this will help if it rains more than you expect. Plant your seeds 1 inch below the surface of the ground while maintaining at least a 6 inch spacing in rows 12 inches apart.

Harvest Your Garlic & Prep for Next Year

Once your garlic plants grow to about 2 feet tall seed buds will form. Make sure you pinch off the buds to ensure the large plants form cloves. Allow the smaller plants to die and fall back (they will grow back in a later season and it will help fertilize).

Use a hand shovel to uproot the larger plants. After the late summer harvest, lightly till with a cultivator to uproot weeds that are growing. Then water the garden bed to allow weed seed germination and till once more to kill those young weeds.

In early autumn, lay down a 3 inch thick layer of mulch and lightly stimulate the surface to allow the garlic to sprout through. You may also want to lay a net down if you have birds or animals that are likely to dig and eat the garlic seeds/cloves. Don’t worry if it gets cold for a season as garlic needs a cold season to grow properly.

Garlic truly loves the sun and will rot in moist environments so ensure to be aware of your soil type and do not water in the rainy season. If you feel your soil is lacking nutrients add a 1 inch layer of very-well decomposed manure from time to time.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/plant-garlic-zmaz78sozraw.aspx#axzz3D72cNImC

http://www.onestrawrevolution.net/One_Straw_Revolution/Article_Garlic_Plant_Once.html