Group: Creole Description: Smaller bulbs with strong (usually white) skins, which can be hard to remove. Scapes grow as drooping, upside down U-shapes, with long slender umbels and small bulbils (usually more than 30). Medium sized plants with blue-green upright leaves. Mid to late season plant and harvest. Cloves: Bulbs have 8–12 vibrant purple, red or bronze cloves, in one or two layers, with tight skins. Climate: Grow bests in hot drier regions in southern NSW, VIC, SA, southern WA and northern TAS. Flavour: Raw flavours range from simple and very hot to strong, rich, complex and long-lasting with more or less heat. Some of these cultivars are the hottest of all garlics. Lovely roasted Storage: 12+ months Planting: Mar - May Harvest: Nov - Jan How to grow garlic: 1 Improve soil prior to planting by incorporating well-rotted compost, manure and organic fertilisers such as rock dust and blood and bone prior to planting. Garlic is a bulb, so good drainage is essential. If your soil becomes damp or waterlogged throughout winter. Mound soil up to improve drainage. 2 Split garlic bulbs into their individual cloves. To ensure the best result, select the plumpest cloves for planting out, leaving smaller cloves for the kitchen. 3 Plant individual cloves, pointy end upward, in holes 5cm deep and 10-12 cm apart. Space rows 15-20cm apart. Gently backfill and water to settle soil in around each clove. 4 Mulch with sugarcane or straw to a depth of 7-10cm. Shoots will push through the mulch so cover the entire area to prevent weed growth during winter. 5 Water as required once shoots are around 10cm tall. Garlic prefers a moist, not wet soil. Apply a liquid fertiliser of seaweed (Granular Seaweed Solution) or fish emulsion (Ocean Brew) fortnightly during the growing season to keep garlic healthy and productive. How to harvest garlic: Garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves begin to dry and there are only 4-5 green leaves remaining. These remaining leaves become the protective skins as cloves dry and harden. Dig up garlic using a fork or trowel to minimise damage to the bulb. Shake to remove loose soil and hang in clumps in a dry, airy place away from direct sunlight for 1-2 months to allow the bulbs to harden.