This is garlic growing in the garden.  They look a lot like spring onions, but this is just the above ground part.  In July we'll harvest the underground part, the garlic bulbs.  I'll show them to you then.

 

Garlic is in the Liliaceae family.  Yep, along with onions, daffodils, and those beautiful oriental lilies.  We plant garlic in the fall, at least by Thanksgiving.   We bury the individual cloves about 6 inches deep, then pile on leaves and straw to protect them through the winter.  This year I planted 40 cloves from last year's harvest.  That will give us garlic for the year, plus enough to plant this November. 
 

I cut the scapes (flower heads) a few days ago.  Then I saw a farmer pull the scapes from the center of the plant;  she got a little more of the delicious stem.  I'll do that next year.  Last year I learned that by removing the flowering part, more energy goes to the bulb, making it grow bigger.  I also learned that garlic scapes are very tasty.  Unfortunately, you only get one harvest of scapes per year.

 

This picture also shows some gorgeous red and green lettuce.  We grew those from seeds too!  Seeds that I collected from last year's lettuce.  I love the process!!!
 

This fall, try planting a few garlic cloves in your garden, and see for yourself how easy it is to grow good garlic.  Best to buy organically grown bulbs, that haven't been treated to not sprout.  I've seen it in Ingles and sometimes at the Union Co farmers market.  
 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!