Grow garlic that suits your winter.

Better not. It may be treated so it won't sprout, and it can bring disease into your soil. Buy seed garlic from a garlic grower, seed catalog or nursery. Choosing and buying

In fall. Where the ground freezes hard, plant one to two weeks after your first hard frost, a few weeks before it freezes. Where frost comes and goes, plant from late September to the end of November. Where frost is rare, plant from October into early December. How to plant

Where the ground freezes hard, you can plant until a few weeks before it freezes. Where winters are milder, planting runs into late November or early December. Where the ground freezes hard and you miss fall, chill the cloves in the fridge for about 8 weeks. Plant as soon as the soil can be worked in spring. Expect smaller bulbs. Planting times

A 4 by 8 ft bed in four rows holds 64 cloves, 6 inches apart. Buy about 1.5 lb of hardneck or 1 to 1.25 lb of softneck. On a 6-inch grid it holds 128, so buy twice that. Buying seed garlic

Where the ground freezes hard, hardneck is the safer choice, and it gives you scapes to eat. Softneck suits mild winters, braids, and keeps longer. Find yours

Yes. Use a pot at least 8 inches deep with drainage holes, filled with potting mix. Where the ground freezes hard, sink the pot in the ground for winter, or set it against a north or east wall and pack straw around it. Planting