[Frank Woolf]

Growing garlic in the tropics may be difficult due to the heat but maybe worth trying at high altitudes.

Plant wherever you want to repel aphids. Garlic accumulates sulfur: a naturally occurring fungicide which will help in the garden with disease prevention. Garlic is systemic in action as it is taken up the plants through their pores and when garlic tea is used as a soil drench it is also taken up by the plant roots.

Has value in offending codling moths, Japanese beetles, root maggots, snails, and carrot root fly.

Concentrated garlic sprays have been observed to repel and kill whiteflies, aphids and fungus gnats among others with as little as a 6-8% concentration!

It is safe for use on orchids too.

[deepan03]

very true, garlic needs high altitude to grow. But it has great benefits. its very good for health. Garlic has been known as a boost for the immune system as it has been a common key in prevention of the common cold and flu viruses present in the air throughout the winter and fall seasons.

Garlic For Good

[Guzzinuts]

Frank - we've been skimming through your articles about herbs & such-like (vegetables too?). So we were wondering if it's worth us bring out our favourite herbs etc in seed form? Only we're not too sure what will grow & what wont, e.g - Thyme, sage & parsley etc?
Perhaps you have already written on this subject & we have missed it?

[Frank Woolf]

I would certainly bring some to try but it is a bit hit and miss. I have been experimenting and some things that I never expected to grow are doing fine while others, most notably nasturtiums, that I have tried for times with zero success.

[abu farsi]

I took a 25 kilo bag of garlic and sectioned it out, planted those sections about 10 CM apart, with rows 15 Cm apart. I got great germination.

My garlic made healthy, fat stems. Nothing seemed to eat them. I figured that each garlic had up to 12 sections, that would grow.

MY GARDEN SMELLED FANTASTIC.

After 11 weeks, we got 4 days of continuous rain. and 100% of my plants died that week.

[Frank Woolf]

That is frustrating. You have convinced me to try but I will make the soil I grow them on as well drained as possible. Maybe I should try them on the sides of terraces with lots of sand and/or fibrous material.

[abu farsi]

My plants were on a side hill, perhaps 6 deg. I was told "bacterial wilt" was the culprit. This is a common disease here. Either your soil has it or it does not. No defense.

Bacterial wilt killed my calabasa, tomatoes, cukes, all vines plants are subject.