raised bed garden

Growing Garlic in Containers: How to Grow, Harvest, and Use Aromatic Garlic Grown in Your Raised Garden Bed Bad breath be damned—garlic is one of the most flavorful and versatile edibles you can grow in your raised garden bed. Even if you don’t want to cook with it, there are myriad health benefits to garlic. So, let’s dive into the wild world of growing garlic in containers and learning what you can do with it once you harvest it. It’s easy to grow, especially in an Eco Garden elevated garden bed. What is garlic, anyway? Garlic (Allium Sativum L.) is a close relative of the onion and the chive, making it part herb, part vegetable—it kind of falls in a category all its own. The savory veg/herb has a papery skin and forms a bulb with separate cloves inside. There are two varieties: Hardneck – This type of garlic has a hard, woody middle and produces a flowering stalk called a scape. Garlic scapes are edible right after they start curling. This is a nice option for people sensitive to garlic who still want the flavor in recipes. Softneck – This type of garlic produces more cloves than hardneck. Climate changes the flavor of these varieties (often, not for the better). How to grow garlic To grow garlic in your raised garden bed, you need to use garlic cloves. You can get these at any garden center or seed company. Plant the cloves 4-6” apart with the pointed end facing up (leave the papery skin on each clove). Push them into the soil 1-2” deep and if the soil is dry, give them a little water. Fall planting is best; garlic needs to go through a cold weather period. But wait—can’t I just use the cloves from the garlic I…