Garlic is used to cook almost every important dish because garlic helps to enhance the taste of dishes. As it help cure a different kind of diseases, it has a lot of health benefits too. Thought we could purchase it from any nearby grocery but still some people prefer to grow garlic in their home or yard rather than grocery store garlic. The reason is simple; growing garlic barely requires much effort or space. You can do it as a part of recreation with your family members. There are several methods to grow garlic. But in this article we’ll talk about three most effective ways of growing garlic. So lets start our today’s topics how to grow garlic from clove.
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How to Grow Garlic from Clove
Types of Garlic:
If we consider the duration of crops then garlic are mainly of two types:
- Hardneck garlic
- Softneck garlic
If you are looking for garlic that is easier to grow and long-lasting, softneck ones will be an ideal choice. On the other hand, hardneck garlic has a better flavor but softneck varieties not-long lasting.
Method 1: Grow Garlic From Cloves: Step by Step Process
Depending on what type of weather you live in, you have to decide the best time to plant garlic. If you live in the winter region, you can plant garlic in Spring. On the other hand, mid or late fall is a preferable time for growing season, especially if you live in a hotter region. Also, planting garlic at least eight weeks before the first frost would be the best time. The most basic way to grow garlic is growing them from their cloves. So at first we are going to discuss this step by step process. Before we begin, you should know that it takes around nine months to harvest fully grown garlic. So, you need to be a little patient.
Step 1: Get the Garlic Cloves
First, you need to buy garlic. It can either be seed garlic or organic garlic. And then, separate the cloves from the bulb. Take the larger cloves to plant.
Step 2: Prepare the Soil
To plant the garlic cloves, you will need to prepare the soil next. Since garlic is a root vegetable, using loose soil allows it to grow correctly. You will also need composts and fertilizer.
Step 3: Depth and Space
Garlic cloves are being planted closer to the soil surface. You do not need much space to plant them either. The distance between the planted cloves should be five to six inches. Using a wooden stick or your hand, dig holes that are one or two inches deep.The smaller depth will allow the garlic roots to grow out. And, the distance will allow the bulb to grow freely.
Step 4: Plant the Cloves
And, it’s time to plant the cloves you separated. Plant them with the head toward the ground and the pointy part toward the surface.
Garlic should be planted in an area that will receive full sun. And make sure to water them from time to time.
Step 5: Take Care of the Plants and Wait
Once the sprouts start to grow and become a few inches tall, cover the plating area with grass and leaves. This process will keep the soil moisture, nutritious, and protect the garlic plant from the winter’s cold.
While you might not need to water the plants during winter, it is better to water them during the summer.
Step 6: Harvest and Store
After eight to nine months after planting the cloves, the plants will start to turn yellow. And, that would be the time for harvesting garlic. Gently pull out the garlic one by one with your hand. If you cannot pull out easily, you can use a fork. And, you will find that the individual cloves have grown whole garlic. After you pull out all the plants, clean the dirt off the bulbs and let them dry in the sun for two or three days. Once the bulbs are dry, they will be ready to be stored for a few months.
Method 2 : How To Grow Garlic In Water Step by Step
In our second method about how to grow garlic from clove, we tried experimenting with growing garlic in water. It is an effective way to grow garlic if you can’t grow garlic in the ground or container. But, remember this: in this way, the garlic cloves will only grow fresh garlic sprout. You will not get new garlic unless you plant them in soil later.
Step One: Get the Garlic Bulbs
Buy some garlic from the store and peel off the outer layer.
The garlic has to be fresh with large cloves. Using smaller cloves may not give you a good result.
Step two: Get Water Container
You can get a glass jar with a not-so-wide opening. If you do not have a glass jar, try using a clear water bottle.
Having a glass jar or clear bottle will allow you to see root growth.
Step three: Fill Up the Containers with Water
Fill the container with water. If you are using a water bottle, carefully cut the top with a cutter and fill it up with water.
The opening has to be wide enough to let water touch the garlic heads.
Step four: Set the Garlic
Now, take the garlic bulbs and set their heads on the top of the water containers. As mentioned in the previous steps, the garlic heads need to touch the water, or the sprout will not grow.
Once the garlic is set on the water, give them a few days. Avoid putting the jars under direct sunlight. You will soon notice the roots have started to emerge from the heads and the sprouts from the pointy end.
Step five: Change Water Time to Time
You would need to change the water at least once a week. You need to change it whenever it turns murky. If the water is not in time, it will prohibit the growth of the sprout.
To change the water at first take the garlic bulb off the top of the container and drain the jar’s old water. Fill up the container with fresh water and put the bulb back on the top. Make sure the growing roots are in the water.
Step six: Harvest the Garlic
The roots and sprouts will start growing around four to five days after planting them on water. If you notice any sprout stuck under the clove layer, use a thin cutter or knife to cut it open and allow it to grow. After 15-20 days, the green sprout will be several inches tall. The whole garlic would be edible, except the roots that grew in water.
You can cut the sprouts and cook or use them with soup, lentil, or salad. Or you can plant each of those clove separately on your garden soil.
Method 3 : How To Grow Garlic In Indoor Pots
Garlic is also a container garden vegetable. If you do not have sufficient area to grow garlic in your yard, you can still grow them in pots. The steps are as follow…
Step I : Get Fresh Garlic
First of all, buy some garlic from the store or farmers. Break the cloves from the bulb and separate the large cloves. Each of these cloves will produce one garlic bulb.
Step II : Prepare the Soil Mix
Garlic needs highly fertile soil. You can add organic matter or compost with the soil. The mixture should be of 60% normal loose soil and 40% organic matter or compost.
Step III : Prepare the Pots
Take a pot or container with a proper drainage system. Then, fill it with the soil mixture.
Step IV: Plant the cloves
Plant the garlic cloves in the soil with 2 inches deep holes and 4 to 5 inches apart from each other. It will leave room for the cloves to grow.
Step V: Take Care of the Plants
Water the plants enough to keep them moist. But do not overwater them. As the weather gets warmer, you can reduce watering gradually.
With enough sunlight and proper care, the garlic will start sprouting within a few weeks. And they will be ready to be harvested after a few months.
How Long Does Garlic Take To Grow
The growth duration of garlic depends on garlic varieties and the weather temperature. Hardneck garlic matures well in warm weather while softness matures well in the cold. But, it usually takes 9 months for garlic to grow fully.Garlic is being planted in fall so that by winter, the cloves will start to grow into bulbs. It takes at least forty days for cloves to form bulbs if the temperature is less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. In both cases, garlic plants need the sun every day for at least five to six hours. If everything goes accordingly, you will be able to harvest garlic in summer. Garlic is a perennial plant. That means this plant can live more than two years and regrow each spring. Besides garlic, if you want to purchase any other perennial plant you can check the below link also (#Ads)
Fertilizer For Garlic
Garlic is known as a heavy feeder vegetable. It requires fertile soil. That’s why, when planting garlic, there are two things you need to keep in mind:
- When to fertilize
- How to fertilize
Since garlic takes a long time to grow, it needs an adequate amount of fertilizer. Nitrogen fertilizer works best for garlic. You need to apply them once before planting, once during spring, and one last time when the scapes start growing. Organic matter, such as compost, helps a great deal to fertilize your plants. But, do not over-fertilize them; otherwise, excessive growth will ruin the plants. To know the detail about how to fertilize them you can read out this article that is about how to fertilize vegetable after planting
How To Grow Large Garlic Bulbs
You need to maintain a few things to harvest large garlic bulbs. Those things are…
Choose the largest cloves
To harvest the largest bulbs, you will have to choose cloves carefully. If you plant cloves of different sizes, you will get different results. So, choose the largest cloves.
Use Proper Soil
The soil has to be well-drained yet moist enough. You can use fertilizer during late spring.
Remove Scapes
Scapes grow when the plants start to mature. Garlic produces flower stalk that is known as scapes. It would be best if you cut them off as soon as you see them.
Harvest On Time
Garlic needs to be planted and harvested in time. If not, you may end up getting green garlic. It is premature and tastes more like an onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most frequently asked questions:
Where to plant garlic?
Answer: You can plant garlic anywhere. Garlic grows both indoors and outdoors. You can plant it in soil, pot, and even water. Make sure the place has enough sunlight, well-drained soil. And, it cannot get too wet during the cold season.
When to plant garlic?
Answer: Garlic is usually planted in the fall. However, depending on whether you live in the North or the South, you can plant cloves in mid-fall or late fall. Plant it 6-8 weeks before the first frost, and your garlic plants will be ready to be harvested in summer.
How to prepare and use garlic?
Answer: You can prepare garlic anyhow you want. You can either crush it, chop it, or roast it. If you are using hardneck garlic, our recommendation would be to roast it to get better flavor.
How to care for garlic?
Answer: Garlic doesn’t need any extra care. You only have to water them after planting and once or twice a week during hot weather. Weed them if needed and remove the stalks and scapes once they start to grow. And nourish the plants with fertilizer during late spring.
How to use your homegrown garlic?
Answer: Homegrown garlic has many uses. You can use the garlic for your cooking, or you can sell them. And, you can grow more garlic from the cloves of your newly harvested garlic.
Even the scapes or the flower stalks are useful. The garlic greens can be sold and cooked. You can also use them to decorate your cooked dishes.
How to store garlic?
Answer: A cool, dry place is ideal for storing garlic for a long time. The temperature should be 60 degrees with 40% humidity.Brush the soil and dirt off the bulbs first. Then make strings of the bulbs to store them.
Conclusion
That was everything you needed to know about how to grow garlic from clove. Though garlic takes almost a year to grow, it is an easy-growing plant. So, you need to pre-plan this long-term project. But, do not plant them in wet soil or in a land where you cultivated similar plants within a year. If you want large garlic, such as elephant garlic, follow growing hardneck large bulb garlic rules. Now, do you think you can plant garlic at home now? We believe you can as we have given you all the information you needed. Growing garlic keeps you from running out of the stock. And, as far as the old joke goes, it will keep you safe from vampires as well. Besides garlic if you want to get any quality perennial plant for your backyard garden you can check the below link. (#Ads)
