Garlic, Chives, Onions

Name:
*Garlic (Allium sativum)
*Garlic Chives (Allium odorum)
*Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
*Onion (Allium cepa)


Description:
*the Allium family are a pungent, tasty product from the garden
*garlic is an insect repellant and also neutralizes the poisons of bites and stings

Parts Used:
*leaves, bulbs, flowers, use them fresh

Position:
*all Alliums like well-tilled weedless soil, good drainage, and a sunny position

Propagation:
*plant onions by seed
*plant chives by seed
*propagate garlic by planting cloves vertically with top covered by 2.5 centimeters of soil

Maintenance:
*weed well, especially in early growth stages
*do not over winter
*garlic is vulnerable to nematode (eel worm) attack. To clear soil of nematodes, plant a crop of dwarf orange marigolds (Tagetes patula) beforehand

Harvesting:
*use fresh
*when they are finished growing, the tops of both onion and garlic wither and fall over. On a sunny day, pull the bulbs of these plants and leave them for a few days to dry out. Store in a dry, well ventilated place
*to prevent browning, avoid cutting chives with a scissors, but rather use your hands

Medicinal:
*garlic: a natural antibiotic, regular consumption helps prevent and treat lung infections, coughs, colds, and gastrointestinal infections
*garlic can be used as a preventable against stomach and colorectal cancers
*garlic is beneficial for the cardiovascular system, lowers cholesterol levels, lessens bloodclot formation, reduces blood pressure, and helps blood circulation

Cooking:
*far too obvious to make much comment. Check out future recipes on this blog

Companion Planting:
*plant Alliums near roses to prevent black spot
*they also help prevent leaf curl in trees, especially peach trees

For additional information, see: references and warnings