How to grow garlic in home for beginners

 

• Planting Time: Garlic can be planted in pots from September to December.
• Harvesting Time: It takes 6 to 8 months after planting for the garlic to be ready for harvesting.
• Getting Started: To begin, purchase fresh garlic bulbs with large cloves.
• Preparation:
• Place garlic cloves in water within a transparent container (glass or bottle) to observe root growth.
• Orientation:
• Position the garlic "bubs" (cloves) with the sprouting end pointing upwards and the flat end of the bulb facing downwards.
• Sunlight:
• Place the container in a location that receives 5 to 7 hours of direct sunlight daily.
• Garlic cloves should sprout in about 2 days and can be separated for planting in 5-6 days.
• When separating cloves, exercise caution to avoid damaging the base, as this can hinder growth.
• For planting, select the largest cloves, while the smaller ones can be used for culinary purposes.
• Ensure the planting container is adequately deep (8-15 inches) to accommodate root growth.
• Container Size and Watering:
• 
  
  Larger containers allow for planting more cloves and require less frequent watering.

Drainage and Soil Mix:

The chosen container needs drainage holes at the bottom, and garlic requires a well-drained soil 

mix to prevent rotting.

Recommended Soil Composition:

A recommended soil mix consists of 50% garden soil, 30% compost, and 20% river sand, which should be mixed well before use.

Planting Procedure:

Make 2 to 3-inch deep holes in the prepared soil mix for planting the garlic cloves.

Preparation:

Use a suitable soil mix and plant one clove per hole.

Planting:

Plant garlic cloves 2 inches from the container rim, spaced 4 to 6 inches apart in all directions.

Placement:

Sink each clove into the soil with the pointy end up, ensuring the base sits 2 to 3 inches below the soil surface and the green tip remains above.

Care:

Lightly water the soil surface and monitor it throughout the winter to ensure the soil stays moist.

Sunlight & Water:

Garlic requires bright, direct sunlight for at least 5-6 hours daily and prefers moist but not soggy soil.

Planting Method:

For best results, plant the biggest cloves from a large head of garlic using the traditional method.

Clove Orientation & Depth:

Plant each clove pointed end up, about 2 inches deep in the soil, ensuring the tip is covered.

Planting Position:

Plant cloves upright with the wide, root side facing down and the pointed end facing up.

Spacing:

Space cloves approximately 4 to 6 inches apart to allow for proper growth and the formation of large heads.

Post-Planting Care:

Ensure the planted cloves have ample room and remember to water the pot after planting.

Growth Expectation:

Each planted clove will sprout into a garlic plant.

Sunlight: 

Garlic plants require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Watering: 

Water garlic plants to the full depth of their roots, keeping the soil evenly moist but not wet, particularly during the initial months after cloves sprout.

Harvesting Greens:

 You can begin picking the garlic greens when they reach a height of 5 to 7 inches.

• Leave an inch of growth on each clove to encourage plant growth.

• Maintain evenly moist, but not wet, soil for healthy growth.

• Fertilize garlic plants by spreading a general-purpose fertilizer evenly throughout the soil, no more than twice a month.

• Fertilizer may not be necessary if the potting mix is already nutritious enough.

• To potentially accelerate garlic growth and improve harvest, incorporate a gardening tool into the first few inches of soil.

• Every 20 to 25 days, loosen a layer of soil to maintain softness, which is indicated to help "BBS" grow larger (though "BBS" is not fully defined in the provided text).

• As garlic plants mature, their lower leaves will naturally turn brown and dry up.

Watering: 

Water garlic during dry periods throughout the growing season, but stop watering completely during the last few weeks before harvest to allow bulbs to mature in hot, dry conditions.

Harvesting:

 Garlic is typically ready for harvest in midsummer.

Harvesting Sign:

 A key indicator that garlic is ready to be collected is when the leaves begin turning.

Extraction:

Carefully dig into the soil from the sides to pull out the garlic bulb, avoiding damage to the roots, especially the root plate.

Cleaning:

Gently brush off excess soil from the harvested plants.

Preparation:

Do not remove any foliage or roots before thoroughly drying the garlic bulbs.

Post-Potting:

Once removed from the pot, shake off loose dirt and either hang the garlic to dry or set it aside.

• It's a rare single-clove variety of Allium sativum.
• Research suggests it's seven times more potent than commercial garlic in terms of beneficial compounds and properties.
• To dry garlic bulbs, they need to dry for at least 8 to 15 days.
• Garlic is completely dried when the bulbs begin to flake, at which point the stem and roots can be separated for storage.