If you have a sunny spot in your garden, try planting some garlic.
Garlic is loved and used by many and is an easy plant to maintain. October is a perfect time to plant garlic here on the West Coast. There is a school of thought that thinks spring planting is better but I have always had good luck in the fall.
Try to get the garlic planted within the next three weeks since garlic planted too late in the fall will not have proper root growth and will be slower to start growing in the spring.
Garlic has virtually no pests or diseases. The one key is to begin with healthy, organic cloves to ensure a good start.
Don't use non organic garlic from the grocery store. Usually these bulbs are treated with a sprout inhibitor to prevent it from sprouting before it reaches your dinner table.
This is not a desirable quality in something you want to grow in the garden.
Also, much of that garlic comes from China and it is a long trip. A better place to source garlic for planting is some nice locally grown organic garlic from the farmers' market.
You can also order a myriad of fancy varieties from specialty seed outlets.
Garlic likes rich, loamy soil with good drainage and should be planted in full sun. You don't need to add a bunch of amendments to the soil at this time, but you can feed it with compost or organic matter in the spring.
Garlic doesn't like to compete with weeds and is rather shallow-rooted, so a layer of mulch is always a good plan.
Break apart the bulb without peeling the papery skin off. Plant the individual cloves four inches apart and at three inches deep with the pointy side up.
To maximize the final bulb size, cut off the curling tips or scapes (otherwise known as the "pigs ear") just as they begin to curl in the late spring, early summer.
If you frequent the farmers' market, you know that garlic scapes are yummy in just about everything, including stir fries.
Your garlic will mature at the end of the summer. It is ideal to try and avoid extra watering a few weeks before you plan on harvesting the garlic. This allows the bulbs to cure.
Harvest your garlic heads when about three quarters of the leaves have turned yellow.
You can cure the bulbs further by laying them in a single layer in a warm, dry spot for a week or more.
If you want to continue your garlic planting, choose your firmest, largest bulbs for planting in the fall.
Many of the specialty mail order seed companies are sold out of their exotic varieties at this time of the year but if you head on down to the Village Green, they have quite a few good selections.
