• Garlic is one of the most widely used herbs in the world.garlic image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Garlic is a native of central Asia that has become a kitchen staple in countries throughout the world. Fans of the pungent herb love the taste and distinctive odor, while others cannot be in the same room with a single clove. Garlic is used in herbal medicine and has even been woven into fiction as the weapon of choice against vampires. Garlic needs long days of sunshine to grow its best.
  
  

Planting

• Garlic is planted in either late fall or early spring. Garlic plants need at least four months to grow to a mature size. It prefers plenty of sunlight but can grow in partial shade. The most common way to plant garlic is with the bulbs or cloves. Certain varieties, such as the hardneck, produce non-flowering stalks called scapes which appear in mid-spring. Scapes will grow into garlic bulbs but will take two years rather than a single season.
  
  

Growing Season

• Garlic planted in the fall season, usually late September or early October, will sprout by November. By the time winter comes around, the roots will usually are large enough to withstand the cold. Garlic bulbs remain dormant over the winter and can tolerate temperatures below freezing. Once the daylight hours start increasing in the spring, the plants come out of their dormant state and resume growing. Harvest in mid to late summer, depending on how far north you live.
  
  

Canada and Alaska

• Spring and summer days in Canada and Alaska are much longer than in most parts of North America, almost 20 hours out of every 24 in some areas. These long daylight hours give the garlic bulbs plenty of time to form. Some varieties, such as the Montana Roja, do very well in the northern climates when spring planted. Spring planting is the preferred method for many northern latitudes because of the colder soil temperatures and more severe winters.