Planting Garlic, Shallots and Onions for the Edible Landscape

In mild weather climates, it is still possible to plant your favorites  from the onion family. Garlic, shallots and onions are all in the same family, Allium, and are easy to grow. You need open, sunny ground, in well drained soil that has been fertilized with bone meal and manure.

There are many varieties of garlic to cho0se from. Look in some of these catalogs. My friend Robert Kourik has written a great article on garlic that goes into more detail on varieties and planting techniques.

Garlic is a good plant to put throughout the garden; under fruit trees, around roses and on the edgings of beds.

Shallots are a close relative of the onion that taste like a cross between an onion and garlic and is prized in cooking for its distinctive flavor.

Onion bulbs can also be planted now, but transplanting seedlings and seed sowing need to be done in the Spring.  There are many varieties of onions that require appropriate planting methods.  Consult your local nursery for advice on varieties that grow well in your area.

Even in mild weather climates, it will soon be time to just sit back and enjoy the winter days, reading a good book and taking it easy.  Let the garden just, as one might put it, vegetate.  I’ll be using these days to write about garden design. You can start dreaming about how you might make some changes in your landscape, and put in a few more of your favorite edibles.