I tried growing Garlic.

Hachibee: We’re going to plant actual garlic bulbs. That’s pretty wild.

Ricky: These pieces of garlic are called cloves when we cultivate them. The whole garlic bulbs you see in supermarkets are called “seed bulbs.”

Misha: Wow, that’s powerful! The sprouts have already come up.

Hachibee: Wow, that’s powerful! Look how much the leaves have grown already!

Hachibee: The stems are getting thicker too.

Hachibee: It started to bend like a whip.

Hachibee: The leaves have suddenly grown so much that the whole plant looks a bit cramped.

Ricky: I like freedom. I don’t like overly cramped environments.

Misha: Let’s try transplanting some of the plants to a larger area.

Hachibee: Maybe it’s because it’s gotten a little colder. The tips of the leaves are starting to wither a bit.

Hachibee: Oh! Is it just my imagination, or are there differences in the thickness of the stems between the plants that were planted in a dense cluster and those that were planted in a wider area?

Ricky: What I like about it is that it seems like a place where children can grow up freely.

Hachibee: There’s a clear difference between the densely packed group and the spacious group! It’s like the difference between a long leek and a green onion.

Misha: Now that December has arrived and the wind is starting to feel colder, it seems like both the densely packed and spacious groups have stopped growing and gone into cold-hardy mode. Let’s fast forward a bit from here.

Hachibee: There are quite a lot of withered leaves around the plant. It looks like it has battled the cold, truly a case of “the remnants of a warrior’s dream.”

Ricky: I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but this extremely cold time of year is when you really need to show your determination and grit.

Hachibee: But wow, there’s an incredible amount of leaves left after they wither. You can really feel how hard it’s working, replenishing its life force as it goes.

Misha: Now is the time to be patient. This stalemate will continue for a while, so let’s time warp again for a bit.

Hachibei: Oh! The leaves are standing straight up!

Ricky: I’ve been saving up my energy all winter. Let’s go!

Hachibee: Not only has the stem gotten thicker, but nodes have started to form.

Hachibee: Oh dear, once nodes started to form on the stems and the leaves began to grow thicker, the plants that were planted too close together couldn’t withstand the weight and started to fall over.

Misha: The plants that were transplanted to a larger space have thicker stems, and even though they’ve grown heavier with more leaves, they’re not budging at all.

Ricky: I may not look like it, but I’m quite sensitive. I’d like to be raised in a spacious environment.

Hachibee: Ah, the densely packed group has finally completely run out of steam.

Misha: The plants that were transplanted to a larger space have even bigger leaves and their stems grow straighter and stronger.

Hachibee: Is this the end for the densely packed group…? At least they seem to have something resembling garlic balls attached to them.

Misha: Oh dear, that’s a shame. Only one clove has formed, and it hasn’t grown into a bulb. It seems that if you let garlic grow too close together without thinning it out, it won’t grow properly.

Ricky: Now that we’ve learned that it’s important to plant garlic in a spacious area with plenty of room for each individual plant, please keep an eye on the growth of the plants that you’ve moved to a larger area.

Hachibee: It’s huge! When did it get so big?!

Ricky: Full power!

Hachibee: Oops, the leaves have gotten a bit too heavy, haven’t they?!

Misha: I feel like everything has softened up a bit, don’t you?

Ricky: Before I knew it, it was June. It seems the final bell has rung.

Hachibee: Nice fight! Let’s dig it up right away. Wow! It’s growing! It’s garlic!!

Misha: These are some magnificent bulbs. It really shows how important the planting method is when it comes to garlic.

Ricky: That’s right. The planting method is key. When spring arrives, you want to grow them in a spacious area so that the warm sunlight reaches the garlic leaves and stems evenly, and so that the leaves can spread out freely.

Hachibee: I see! Alright, next time I’ll plant them about 70 meters apart!

Ricky: You don’t have to let go so much!

Misha: So, if it grows into a wild stem and leaf shape like Ricky’s when it gets warmer in the spring, then it’s definitely a success, right? It was a good experience. Alright, let’s make garlic steak and ajillo with lots of garlic tonight and eat together!