Garlic
Allium sativum
Family: Alliaceae (Onion Family)
PLANT PROFILE
NAME:
allium: garlic-like
sativum: cultivated
Name Origin: Old English; Garleac.
"gar"= "spear" (clove shape resembling the head of a spear)
"leac"= "leek"
"spear + leek"
Folk Name: "Clown's Treacle"
"Treacle"= Syrupy sweet; or, medicinal remedy for poisoning
PLANT ORIGIN:
* Native to Central Asia, from the area formerly known as the Tartar region, which is now Siberia, Turkestan, Greater Mongolia, Manchuria, & Tibet.
* Dates by 6,000 years
* Spread from the Tartary to rest of Asia, Europe, & North Africa.
* Current Top countries of cultivation: China, India, South Korea, Egypt, Russia, United States, Spain, Argentina, Myanmar, Ukraine.
PLANT FORM:
* Bulb
* Usually grown as annual
* Can be perennial if left in the ground
* Stalk grows to 1 meter
* Bulb grows to 10 cm
* If left in ground, clumps grow to 20 cm wide
PROPAGATION:
* Propagated by planting individual cloves (choose the largest ones possible) with the tip up in late autumn for a early summer harvest.
* Flowers are hermaphroditic
* Pollinated by bees and insects
* If left as perennial, harvest shoots in winter (for culinary purposes)
* Roots gather at the basal plate of the bulb
SOURCES:
* Pick up bulbs with the largest cloves from your local farmer's market
* Specific varieties available from nurseries
NICHE:
* Between grassland and forest edge
VARIETIES OF SIGNIFICANCE:
* Elephant
* Californian
* Italian Red
* Chinese Purple
USES:
Culinary:
* Cloves of the bulb used in cuisines all over the world; cooked or raw
* Also edible: young shoots, stalk (asparagus substitute), flower, young flower stalks
Medicinal:
* Properties: Fungicidal, Antiseptic, Tonic, and Parasiticidal
* Insect repellent can be made out of the juice of the bulb
* Eases stings of insects bites when applied topically
* Powerful treatment for Candida imbalances when eaten raw
* Treats yeast infections when peeled clove is inserted internally
* Beneficial to the blood system and the heart
* Treats ringworm, amoebic dysentary, lead poisoning,
* Anti-cancer effects
Other Uses:
* Glue for mending glass and china from the juice of the bulb
* Insecticide from infusing 3-4 tablespoons of crushed garlic with 2 tablespoons of grated soap in 1 liter of boiling water, allowed to cool
* Garlic is overall beneficial in growing in perennial food gardens as it maintains the health of other plants it grows near.
GUILD
* Climate: Fairfield, Iowa; Temperate Zone, Clayey Soil, Soil Ph ~7
* Forest garden/fruit tree related guild: From inside to outside:
o Pear tree
o Goumi shrub
o Yarrow
o Daikon Radish
o Chicory
o Garlic
o Lemon Balm
o Violet
o Clover
I built my guild that could be used here in Fairfield, Iowa for my design project. I structured it around plants that grow well with garlic. Garlic grows well with species in the Roseaceae family, which includes pears, apples and roses. Since my client wants pear trees on his property, I chose the pear tree for the central element. For my guild, I also wanted to choose elements that have either an edible and/or medicinal quality, and as many elements that are already pre-existing. For the next layer, I choose the Goumi berry shrub which is a nitrogen-fixer that provides edible berries. Yarrow acts as a living mulch, dynamic accumulator and attracts beneficial insects. Its leaves and flowers are edible and medicinal. Garlic grows well with species of the cruciferous family, so I chose daikon radish which as it grows, it provides excellent soil preparation for the pear tree for its large root. The root and greens of the daikon are both edible. Chicory is another dynamic accumulator, with edible roots and greens. Chicory is part of the aster family, which is one of the three families of plants that is part of integrated pest management (IPM). Garlic is an overal beneficial plant to grow with other plants as it maintains the health of its neighbors. Lemonbalm is already found on my design site, has edible and medicinal leaves and is part of the laminaceae family which is another IPM plant. Next violet, as a beautiful pre-existing groundcover with edible flowers, and clover, a pre-existing, nitrogen-fixing ground cover.
SPECIES COMPARISON:
Garlic: Edible & Medicinal
Other species that can be grown in temperate climates that are both edible and medicinal:
1. Dandylion
2. Burdock
3. Aloe
4. Stinging Nettle
5. Comfrey
6. Yarrow
7. Mint
8. Chicory
9. Rose
10. Parsley
