Garlic has been utilised for medicinal as well as culinary purposes for thousands of years and it is extremely easy to grow. An unknown poet (from the 1600’s) sums up garlic’s qualities in the following statement. “Our apothecary shop is our garden full of pot herbs, and our doctor is a good clove of garlic.” Garlic is natures antibiotic and it is the allicin constituent that produces the antibiotic action. Considered the poor man’s penicillin, garlic offers an exceptional range of antibiotic and antimicrobial properties.  

How to grow Garlic: Buy organic garlic and push sections pointy side up into soil (about 4cm down). Plant in winter (shortest day of the year) and harvest in summer (on the longest day of the year). It will pretty much grow anywhere. Plant around all garden beds…great protection against unwanted pests.

But first…be warned that the quality and purity of all garlic is not equal! 

Aside from pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilisers used by conventional commercial growers, most people are not aware that fresh food items being imported into Australia must be either fumigated with Methyl Bromide or irradiated (treated with radiation). Similar legislation applies in many other countries.

Excerpt from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture – As a fumigant, Methyl Bromide (MeBr/CH3Br) is typically used in concentrations of 48g/m3, which is about 13,000 parts per million (ppm). At this concentration, MeBr is acutely toxic to a wide range of insect pests, plants, animals and people. However, like most chemicals, it is safe to use if instructions are followed properly. We use about 30 tonnes per annum on soils, primarily for strawberry runners. Quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) use of MeBr (for pest control) is not controlled under the Montreal Protocol. About 690 tonnes of methyl bromide is used in Australia per annum (p.a.) for import, export or interstate QPS fumigations.

Note: Each country has agriculture guidlines for importing as well as growing so it is best to do your homework.

Check out Nature’s Creation – Knowledge & Guidance through Healing Plants book & cards: carolinew26.sg-host.com or more information on the health benefits of Garlic and the lesson that Garlic teaches.