You can grow garlic even if you're blindfolded, drunk and lobotomized. And
yes, you can plant the store-bought stuff. Plant some RIGHT NOW, and one
more batch in late July. Finally, plant a crop in late October for growth &
harvest in mid to early spring next year. Plant the cloves with the root end
DOWN, about 3-4" deep. Water, cover with a little mulch (grass clippings or
whatever), and start looking up recipes.

Each clove will produce a head of garlic (underground) like you buy in the
store. The top growth will be nothing but green stalks, like onions and most
everything else in the Allium family. When the stalks begin to turn brown,
dig carefully underneath the bulbs to remove them. Cut off the browned
stalks, brush as much dirt off the garlic as possible, and place on a screen
to dry until the skin is crisp (for best storage). Some people braid the
stalks with the heads attached and hang the whole thing up. The key is dry,
clean skin, and harvesting them without bruising.

In 20 years of gardening, I've never found a pest of any kind that bothered
garlic. Dogs digging in the garden are a possibility, but here's a hint from
a Vietnamese friend: Dogs are delicious when properly cooked.

"Paul E. Lehmann" wrote in message
...
I have started to use a lot of garlic in my cooking (thanks to Emeril
Live).
How is it grown? Can you start it from a clove you get at the store?
When
is the best time to plant and harvest? I live in North Central Maryland
Zone 6. I also saw on a program that you can harves a little of the green
part and use it also although it is not nearly as strong as the cloves.