Garlic is a staple in the garden and the kitchen. Growing it is no-fuss, cooking it is easy, and eating it is tasty. With loads of health benefits to eating garlic and positive environmental effects to growing it, there’s no good reason to not plant garlic.
Here are 4 reasons you should plant garlic and get a delicious garden growing ASAP.
1. It’s super easy to grow!
If you’re just getting into growing, plant garlic to begin. It’s hands-down the easiest of all crops to grow. Garlic is also a very sturdy crop — so it can put up with a few beginner’s errors.
Plus, as we head into fall, now is exactly the right time to plant it. Simply separate the cloves from the bulb and thumb them into the soil no more than an inch deep. For more detailed planting instructions and harvesting tips, go to our VP of Horticulture Brie’s blog on garlic.
2. Garlic is your new kitchen staple and spices up any recipe.
You might associate garlic with overpowering flavors, but the best chefs use garlic in the kitchen all the time. At the end of the day, you can use your fresh garlic harvests to flavor all sorts of things: salad dressings, marinades, meats, soups, pizzas, etc.
Garlic has a raw flavor that is strong and pungent, but once cooked, it mellows out into a delicate nutty taste. So roast it, sauté it, bake it — just use it!
Two of our favorite recipes are this Rosemary & Garlic Butter (it tastes so so good on roasted veggies) and this Garlic & Ginger Roasted Radishes Recipe.
3. Growing garlic has a large positive environmental impact.
Currently, China is the world’s leader in garlic export and fulfills 80% of the garlic sold in American grocery stores. Garlic also happens to be the most consumed food in the U.S. This means that there are many “food miles” attached to garlic. In other words, there is a lot of transportation pollution that occurred as a result of the garlic you buy at the store.
So what are the food miles attached to garlic grown on your porch? Basically zero. Planting your own garlic garden and harvesting from it — even if it only makes up some of the garlic you consume — is actually helping to save the environment. It’s a fun and easy way to reduce your carbon footprint.
4. It’s super healthy for you.
Garlic is super low in calories but surprisingly high in nutrition — it actually contains a little bit of every nutrient that you need.
Garlic is especially rich in Vitamin C, B6, and manganese.
It’s shown in studies to help combat illness (particularly the common cold), help reduce LDL cholesterol, and improve bone health. And much much much more.
At the end of the day, growing garlic and eating it will make you happier and healthier. Win-win.
