How To Grow Garlic Indoors
Garlic can be grown and eaten in two different forms; greens and bulbs. The garlic most people are probably familiar with is the bulb variety. This is the bulb of the garlic plant, just like the bulb of a tulip or iris. To grow garlic for the bulbs takes longer, but can be more rewarding. On the other hand, you can also grow garlic greens, which are the leaves of the plant and can be harvested when the plant is quite young. The greens will also contain garlic flavor just like the bulb, but can be used in different ways than the bulbs.
It's probably no surprise, knowing you can grow tomatoes in pots, that you can also grow garlic in pots. Not only can you grow the young greens of the garlic plant, but you can also grow the bulbs. The thing is, garlic bulbs can take 8 to 10 months to fully mature! Whereas garlic greens can be grown and harvest in as little as 7 days.
Usually, garlic is pretty tolerant to cold weather, and can continue growing, even if it is so cold out that it snows. But, if space is an issue, or you'd rather not risk your time-consuming garlic plants succumbing to the cold, growing indoors is a very viable option.
Here's some stats to give you a general idea of what you'll need.
- Garlic bulbs need a minimum pot width of 6 inches.
- The pot must be at least 6 inches deep.
- Garlic cloves (pieces of the bulb) should be spaced at least 4 inches apart
How To Plant Garlic In A Pot
You can grow garlic in a pot by planting the cloves of a garlic bulb. This is done similarly to onions. To get cloves, you first need a garlic bulb. You can get this by buying one from your local store. Once you have the bulb, you must peel the outer skin off. It shouldn't be to hard to do this. You should be able to see the cloves, which are the individual sections of the bulb. These can be pulled apart gently by hand, or cut with a knife if needed. Once the cloves have been separated from the bulb, you can plant them 2-3 inches deep in your pot, with the roots facing down. It can take 1-2 months for the cloves to sprout, so be patient!
Watering
Sounds doable? Now to watering and lighting. As with most plants, there is no exact watering formula. This is because depending on how well your soil absorbs water, you may need more or less than the average. The best thing you can do is lightly water the soil until it feels wet to the touch, but there is not visible water on the surface. Anytime the surface looks dry or feels only slightly moist, re-water using the same method. This can be applied to almost all of your plants.
Lighting
Garlic needs about 7-8 hours of light per day. Make sure to place your garlic by a large window with enough sunlight. If you don't have one available, use LED grow lights.
Caring For Your Garlic Plant
Garlic needs to have well-drained soil. If your potting soil is not absorbing the water well enough, you may need a pot with more drainage holes. Make sure to watch carefully how much you water the plant. If your plant seems to have stunted growth, you may need to add fertilized or plant food to the soil.
Harvesting Your Garlic Plant
After 8-10 months, the lower leaves of your garlic plant should turn brown and yellow. Once they have, it is time to harvest the garlic. Make sure to dig up the garlic bulb, instead of pulling it out by the leaves and stem, as they can break. As long as the garlic looks mature and has no visible issues, your garlic should be ready to be dried and prepared. Now you should know how to grow garlic indoors! Cheers!!
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