Food Hero Blog

Bolting is when a plant speeds up its cycle of growing, grows flower stalks and makes seeds before it should.

It is great to try and grow a “challenging plant,” as that is one of the best ways to learn about gardening.  Even if the plant doesn't thrive or produce a harvest, you'll learn a lot and become a better gardener!

Lettuce is a great option:

✿ Garlic planted in the spring has less time to grow than garlic planted in the fall, so “spring garlic” will be smaller, milder and sweeter and will have only one big clove. Harvest it at the end of July or in August, or earlier for a milder option with edible greens.

What you’ll need

✿ Garlic—a single clove or a head. Garlic grown in your area or in a similar climate might grow better, but give any garlic a try! Fresh garlic will sprout the fastest.

✿ Small cup or jar. Reuse a cleaned-out food jar.

✿ Water

✿ Soil

Season and Location

✿ Garlic is a great crop to grow over the winter.

✿ Plant garlic cloves in in a location that gets full sun.

✿ Plant in soil with good drainage.

Container Gardening

Containers to Grow Plants in

The deeper the better. A container at least 3 to 4 inches deep allows for better developed roots. Shorter containers are great for growing microgreens (https://foodhero.org/microgreens).

When and How to Harvest

❁ For best taste, harvest while the skin is still tender (not tough) and smooth (not bumpy).

❁ Gently but firmly grab the squash near the end away from the plant. Lift up and twist to remove.

Container Gardening

✿ Many varieties of summer squash require a lot of space, but some bush varieties can be grown in large containers (see recommended varieties on the other side).

✿ Bush varieties need about 12" of space around them, when growing.