Product Description

Growing Great Garlic is the definitive grower's guide written by a small scale farmer who makes his living growing over 200 strains of garlic. Commercial growers will want to consult this book regularly. The author tells us: * which strains to plant; * when to fertilize; * when to plant; * when to prune flower stalks; * how to plant; * when to harvest. Plus, how to store, market, and process the crop.Growing Great Garlic makes a genuine contribution in the field of garlic classification that will help the public recognize several distinct varietal types of garlic.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3742 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 213 pages

From Amazon.com
Ron L. Engeland has made his living as an organic garlic grower in Washington State for nearly two decades. He has cultivated more than 450 strains from all over the world. If you want to grow incredible garlic for yourself, he's the man to listen to.

About the Author
For the past fifteen years, author Ron Engeland has farmed organically with his wife, Watershine, and two children in north central Washington state. In addition to garlic they raise over 100 varieties of apples, plus peaches, apricots, plums, raspberries, potatoes, and cut and dried flowers. Ron also manages an irrigation company and writes numerous articles. He is a former state secretary of the Washington Tilth Producers' Cooperative, and served three years on the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.

Customer Reviews

A Nice Guide to Growing Garlic.
Most gardeners don't think of growing garlic, because it is so plentiful and inexpensive at the local grocery store. The problem is that there is only one kind of garlic available at most grocery stores and markets, and that limits variety to be sure! There are over 72 different cultivated varieties of garlic! Each variety has its own distinct aroma, flavor, and level of spicyness. There are even hot garlics! Elephant garlic isn't a true garlic, so it doesn't count.

This book is an indispensible introduction to, and guide for growing garlic, and it even has some places listed where you can get the different cultivars of garlic.

The book is arranged into 3 parts. The introduction deals with the natural history of garlic. The second part deals with the different varieties, and the difference between the hardneck and softnect varieties. It also deals with the history of cultivated garlic. Examples of different garlic include Korean Red, which is a hot garlic, Spanish Roja, Polish, German Red, Inchilium Purple, Silver Skin(the variety usually found in stores), Montana Giant, etc. Each one has its own characteristics and each one has different storage time, growing time, and harvest time.

The third part deals with the cultivation techniques and gardening techniques associated with growing great garlic.
The author has gone to great pains to explain in detail the different methods used in growing garlic, from a commercial scale to the individual organic farmer to the individual home gardener. It is extremely helpful to the garlic novice, that is for sure.

I have used the methods outlined in this book, and in 1999, I liked this book so much that I ended up finding an organic garlic grower in Texas, and got 7 varieties of garlic and started them in a raised garden in October of 1999. In just 8 months I had my first harvest, and it was really cool to grow such distinct garlic in my own garden. This stuff is also expensive, the rare garlics, so it is advantageous to grow your own.

This book is softcover, 229 pages.
I highly recommend it to the home gardener who wants to try something new and delightful.

Seminal Work on Growing Garlic.
Ron's book very concisely, in lay terms, covers garlic in an entertaining, yet authoritative style. The book provides descriptions and illustrations of the varieties of garlic, then covers the art of planting, growing, harvesting, storing and marketing garlic. The book is appropriate for gardeners as well as small scale farmers. Ron has grown Okanogan County, WA gourmet garlic for 17 years. He approaches his craft with deliberate thoroughness to a degree found in few farmers who can also write well. Must reading for those who enjoy gardening and eating garlic. Hmmmm. Terry R. Graham, Washington State

If you want to grow great garlic, you need this book!
Garlic is not just what you find in the supermarket. And once you begin to realize the enormous variety available, you, too, will want to have that sensational patch in your back yard. This book is the "how to and what is" bible for garlic growers everywhere. Even we were able to grow good garlic thanks to all of the guidance from Filaree Farm. Get this book now. You have until fall 1999 to prepare your garden for growing garlic. And while you are doing all of the planning, be sure to place your order with Filaree for garlic "seed" they will be harvesting late this summer. Just remember, though---the lusty, mouthwatering descriptions prove to be irresistable. Just because Filaree offers more than 450 varieties does not mean that you have to plant all of them, even though you will want too. Be prudent!

And, if you love garlic the way we love garlic, you will also want to order a dozen or so varieties just for eating! Start with Chesnok Red,a purple stripe hardneck garlic that is absolutely sensational when it is roasted.

Linda & Fred Griffith, authors of "Garlic, Garlic, Garlic"