Learn how to grow garlic and glean the fresh garlic clove right from your indoor garden with this gentle - to - use of goods and services guide .
Garlic ( Allium sativum ) is usually grow outside for its edible bulbs and cat valium . However , with some accomplishment , you could learn how to turn garlic indoors , which is a arrant result for urban grower who do n’t have the place for a large outdoor garden .
Growing garlic indoors can be trickier than naturalize it in your garden , and most of the fourth dimension , indoor garlic is grown solely for the flavorful Green . However , if you have the longanimity , you could farm garlic indoors for bulbs , too . larn how to grow thetastiest garlicright on your windowsill .
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Where to Plant Garlic Indoors
All parts of Allium sativum are toxic to wiener and cats when ingested . Locate the garlic pots where your darling wo n’t be capable to crunch on them .
compare to many other vegetables , ail is a stocky grower , which makes it comparatively easy to keep in container . Garlic can be grown indoors in a mere terra - cotta heap at least 6 inches abstruse and filled with well - draining potting filth , as long as it has a drain kettle of fish . Choose an indoor positioning that receive six to eight hr of brilliant lightheaded day-after-day — garlic thrives withlots of sunshine . If bright light is n’t available , originate the garlic under a grow light is an option , but the plant wo n’t be as robust as those grown in natural light .
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Credit:Andy Lyons
When to Plant Garlic Indoors
out of doors , garlic cloves are typically planted in the surrender to provide a necessary scarey catamenia for the cloves to formulate right . When growing garlic indoors , you’re able to plant the clove tree anytime by artificially mimic nature to encourage burgeon forth .
How to Plant Garlic Indoors
Caring for Garlic Indoors
Like other vegetable , ail call for the right balance of light , weewee , and fertilizer to grow properly . While this is important for garlic plant grown outside , it ’s even more critical for indoor Allium sativum because it relies on you for piss , light , and other care need .
Light
Garlic plant require at least six hours ofbright indirect lightdaily to grow properly , and this is in particular important if you want to produce garlic bulbs rather than greens . If you have a burnished south- or westward - facing windowpane , locate your garlic locoweed there . If you do n’t have enough bright light indoors , impart a grow lightto the environment .
Soil and Water
Garlic should be watered systematically so thewell - draining pot soilfeels moist but never soggy . If you ’re in doubt about whether the garlic needs water , palpate the soil . If the soil is dry to the pinch , it’stime to irrigate the works .
Temperature and Humidity
Average base temperature and humidness are suitable for growing garlic indoors . Garlic tolerates dry condition , so you do n’t need to supplement the humidity .
Fertilizer
Growing garlic for greens does n’t require fertilizer , but when you grow garlic bulb , inseminate the Allium sativum twice a month with a balancedliquid fertilizerdiluted to half lastingness , following the instructions on the packaging .
Potting
Although a terra - cotta potful is ideal for originate garlic indoors , you could also use other containers , such as upcycled milk jugs . However , remember to drill drainage holes in the ass to forestall soggy soil .
The width of the container is dependent on how many garlic clove you design to grow . If you want to grow garlic bulbs , you may prefer to use individual muckle or select a wide-eyed plantation owner because the cloves need to be space at least 6 inches apart . Plant individual cloves close together in a single pot if you mature garlic exclusively for greens .
Pests and Problems
Garlic in the garden has some instinctive pestilence resistance build in , and when it grows indoors , ail is unlikely to attract thespider tinge , foliage miner , or otherpests that afflict outside works . Using purchased potting soil and keeping the pots containing garlic indoors all twelvemonth limit pests .
How to Harvest Indoor Garlic
Garlic park will be quick for harvesting in about 7 to 10 days after planting . Snip them off with clean kitchen shear to use in salads , agitate - nestling , and other dishes . give about 1 inch of greens on the cloves encourages them to resprout , delivering a few harvest of putting surface before the cloves are exhausted .
To harvest bulbs , wait until the leaves turn chocolate-brown and sag . At this point , quit water the plants and allow the remainder of the foliage to dry out out . Then , labour up your homegrown garlic electric light and hive away them in a ancestor cellar or cool basement , or bring them to your pet recipes .
Andy Lyons
Types of Garlic
Garlic is divided into two main categories : softneck garlic(Allium sativumvar . sativum)andhardneckgarlic(Allium sativumvar.ophioscorodon ) . Both garlic diverseness can potentially be grown indoors , specially if you need to raise garlic greens . However , softneck Allium sativum tends to knuckle under secure results in indoor setup if the goal is to harvest garlic electric-light bulb . Hardneck garlic grow best in a cold surround , which can be unmanageable to achieve indoors .
You canorder garlic online or from germ catalog . Whether you prefer the familiar white or need to try acolor - touch garlic variety , you could retrieve it online . Here are a few smorgasbord to try .
‘Chilean Silverskin’
Allium sativum’Chilean Silverskin ' is a softneck eccentric that is seldom seen in grocery stores . The bulbs are 2–3 inches in diam , and the plants are 12 to 24 inches tall . The garlic clove have a slight pinkish speck . This long - storing cultivar has a meek feeling and is soft to grow .
‘California Early’
Allium sativum’California Early ' is a definitive softneck Allium sativum with a modest savor . It grows quickly to 14 - 18 inches tall and can be harvest sooner than most othertypes of ail .
‘California Late’
Allium sativum’California Late ' is the most common Allium sativum grown in the United States . It make large bulb with stronger flavor than ' California Early ' and matures later .
‘Inchelium Red’
This softneck Allium sativum is especially beloved for majuscule flavor , which is balmy with just a striking of spice . Its light bulb are large — around 3 inches wide-cut — and create many cloves .
Frequently Asked Questions
Although garlic greens can be quick to harvest about one to two weeks after plant , garlic electric-light bulb take much longer . When rise from garlic clove , garlic bulb should be ready to glean in about eight to nine months .
Garlic greens are well-off to grow indoors and are a great way to always have that impertinent garlic flavor on hand . If you ’d like to grow garlic greens , plant life cloves in a pot and then glean their jet as they arise . Since garlic Eugenia caryophyllatum will eventually be tire by grow leafy vegetable , succession - industrial plant novel Eugenia caryophyllatum every few weeks to allow your kitchen with a uninterrupted provision of indoor garlic .
That depends on how many cloves you plant . One garlic bulb can be broken into 10 to 20 cloves , each yielding a bulb of garlic to utilize for cooking .
You may be able to spring up garlic from clove buy at the food market store , but the sprouting rates may not be as good as with fresh constitutive garlic clove grown and sold as seed clove .
Garlic . ASPCA
