How to Grow Garlic

How to Grow Garlic

Planting Garlic Outdoors

Garlic grows in most types of soil, but it thrives best in deep, sandy soil. It also requires a sunny location and should receive six hours of sunlight daily. Adding fertilizer to the soil is recommended to increase its fertility. Garlic is typically planted in the fall in areas with cold winters. It’s important not to plant garlic in the same spot where onions were previously grown, as both crops are susceptible to the same pests.

Planting Garlic Indoors

Garlic can also be grown indoors by following these steps:

1. Choose a planting pot approximately 20.5 cm in size with drainage holes or a pot large enough for the amount of garlic you wish to grow. Leave about 10 cm of space between garlic cloves and 10 cm between the cloves and the pot edges.
2. Fill the pot with soil, separate the garlic cloves, and plant them vertically with the root side facing downward and the pointed end upward. Bury the cloves 10–15 cm deep in the soil, leaving about 2.5 cm between the clove’s top and the soil surface.
3. Place the pot in an area with direct sunlight for long periods, as garlic requires around eight hours of sunlight daily.
4. Water the garlic when the soil dries out, maintaining consistent soil moisture. Spray the soil evenly with water, ensuring excess water drains through the holes.
5. Trim the green leaves when they reach a length of 7–10 cm to allow the plant to focus its energy on growing larger cloves.
6. Once the plant dries out, gently dig into the soil to extract the garlic. Hang it in a cool, dry place to dry completely, which usually takes three to seven days.

Harvesting Garlic

There is no specific time for harvesting garlic, but it should be harvested once the bulbs mature, before the cloves separate or rot. Reduce or stop watering the garlic a few weeks before harvesting. When the leaves begin to turn yellow, you may need to dig up a garlic clove to confirm if it’s ready for harvest.

When harvesting, avoid pulling the garlic by its stem. Instead, carefully dig into the soil to remove the bulbs without damaging them. Gently clean the dirt off the bulbs, tie several garlic heads into a bundle, and hang them in a warm, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight. Allow the garlic to dry for two to four weeks.