If you are planning to grow garlic at home then you should not worry about it because growing garlic at home is an easy, simple and manageable task. You can’t deny the advantages you get from this miracle vegetable. Fresh garlic has antibacterial properties to kill the bacteria that lead to food poisoning.
You can count it as a superfood. The health benefits of garlic are many, first of all, it is highly nutritious but contains very low calories. It is good for weight loss, controls the cholesterol level of your body, which may reduce the risk of a heart attack.
It is a small vegetable but its benefits are robust. Its use should be moderated otherwise it will cause discomfort including upset stomach and bad body odor.
By growing garlic at home you can get endless supplies of garlic. It will save money if you are a beginner in gardening, then don’t worry it does not involve special time, plant-growing skills.
When we talk about planting garlic indoors, then you can plant it anytime in the year. Fall is the right season for planting the garlic outdoors in our gardens. If you don’t have knowledge about planting the garlic, then you should read and learn the steps to grow it at home.
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Scientific introduction to Garlic
It belongs to the onion family botanically garlic is considered a vegetable. The flowers and leaves of the plant are also edible. It is comprised of 10 to 20 cloves. The cover of garlic is like a husk which is typically removed before use. It is a monocot plant because it has one leaf.
Monocots are different from dicots because dicots have two left that’s why we call them dicots. Most garlic varieties are native to Central Asia, but there are a few varieties of Garlic from North America which grows in Woodlands, and even in the shady spots and long streamsides in New Mexico.
Garlic Varieties
There are basically two types of garlic
• Hardneck Garlic
• Softneck Garlic
There is no difference between the planting techniques of both varieties of garlic, if we talk about the time, the same time will be taken by both techniques to grow into bulbs but it depends on the growing conditions of your location.
The qualities of both varieties are different so it is very important to know about each type of Garlic, so you can decide easily which one suits you, according to your needs. Now you can read the properties of each type one by one.
• Hardneck
If you are living in a cold area and you want to grow garlic at your home, then Hardneck is a type of Garlic which is the best option for you. It needs air temperatures between 30 to 50 ° Fahrenheit and produces large bulbs. The flavor of this type of Garlic is mild and because of this property, it is used in salad.
Hardneck can be easily peeled, you can’t store them as they begin to deteriorate. The size of the cloves of the hard neck is very large as compared to Softneck. People like it due to its flavor and extraordinary taste. Rocambole, Purple, and Porcelain are few examples of Hardneck.
• Softneck
The warm climate is better for soft neck varieties, it has the ability to tolerate the hot weather. You can store them because they can stay fresh for 9 to 12 months, due to this reason, they are generally sold.
They are hard to peel but they have more cloves as compared to Hardneck varieties. Artichokes and Silverskin are especially known as Softneck.
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Important Factors for the Growth of Garlic
• Location
The sunlight is very important for the growth of any plant, in the same way, the garlic plant also needs sunlight. You have to care for the location of the plant, so, it can receive the direct sunlight at least for 6 hours.
You should keep it away from your pets especially birds and children. Windowsill is an important place for the pots of garlic. This plant needs proper sunlight if there is any problem regarding light, you can buy LED lights or fluorescent bulbs which are helpful for indoor gardening.
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• Temperature
Room temperature is best for the growth of Garlic if you monitor it well but it is important to keep the air temperature between 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit for the first two months. If the temperature is too high then the growth of the cloves will stop the growth of garlic.
Suitable temperature for this purpose is between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Soil
The best soil you can make at home very skillfully instead of buying. The best combination of the soil you can make at home is one-third of compost, one-third of manure and one-third of, last but not least, vermiculite, this is the good combination for better consequences. One thing you should remember that garlic likes loamy soil that’s well well-drained and have plenty of organic matter.
Another option for you is that you can buy the soil from the vegetables are different types of soil available in different stores, for example, potting soil, vegetable or garden soil. These types of soil are best for the garlic.
• Water
Without water, no plant can grow, in the case of garlic we see that it prefers moist soil. When you grow plants inside your house you must be very careful about the factors like sunlight, temperature, and in the last water.
Garlic plant needs water on a regular basis so the soil of the plant will be moist. You should check the moisture of the soil and according to that, you will water the plant. Give the water to the plant very gently and moist the soil. The best technique you can use, for watering is to keep adding water until the water comes out from the bottom of the pot.
• Fertilizer
Garlic plant needs fertilizer twice a month, but you can skip this. But if you use it, the growth speed of your garlic plant will be increased. The best fertilizer for the garlic plant is an all-purpose bone meal or fish meal fertilizer.
It is proved from the experiments that if you want to increase the garlic production then nitrogen is very good for your plant so it is very good to use nitrogen fertilizer to your soil and increase the productivity of Garlic plant. Or you can use this all-purpose plant food for your indoor crops.
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How to plant garlic?
There are normally two ways to plant garlic.
• Water-only method
• Traditional soil method
Water-only Method
Garlic scapes can grow easily from garlic bulbs. The water early method is very simple to grow garlic scapes. Garlic sprouts are very powerful and strong because garlic that has sprouted for 5 days has the highest antioxidant activity.
Things you need
The only three things you need are garlic and a container.
• What type of container should you use?
A glass container is recommended because you can see clearly when the water needs to be changed and the roots of the plant. Glass is more powerful as compared to plastic because it is very strong. Other things you can use are a cup, bowl, or a pot to hold your garlic.
• What type of Garlic suit you use?
A sprouting clove of garlic is required for this goal. You can also use the clove which is not sprouting but it makes difficult the growing process. If you are using the garlic without sprout then it is recommended that you should use old garlic.
• Water
You have to use that much water which is enough to cover the entire bottom of the cup, but low enough that it will only touch the bottom of the garlic. If you pour more water, it will begin to smell and your garlic will rot.
If you see the water becomes murky, it doesn’t necessarily mean you did something wrong. Don’t worry about it, you can change the water.
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How to Plant?
• In the water-only method, you can grow garlic indoors, on a window sill but you need sufficient light to flourish so make sure curtains are not used regularly. Now start planting you, just need a container, and a bit of water. Are you worry about the smell of the garlic? Don’t hesitate because the most used space is good, you will never forget to change the water.
• Take your container and put some water in it, then you add the garlic, which mentioned above. Be careful that it is well- balanced and is standing up within the water, and only partially submerged.
• After some days you will see the garlic with start to grow. You should be careful about one thing that after a few days you have to change the water if it looks cloud plus sufficient light should be provided to the plant to grow enough. You can change the water regularly if you want, It will prevent the water from getting smelly or murky.
Harvest
Garlic sprouts can grow 10 inches tall, you have to remove a third of the sprout at a time. The garlic takes energy from the sun, if you cut down too much it will not continue to grow. When you are cutting the garlic sprout you should use a sharp scissor.
Traditional Soil Method
If you don’t want to plant garlic in water, you can also grow them indoors in potting soil.
Best self watering pot for growing garlic indoor.
Things You Need
In this method, you need a container or a pot around 8 to 10 inches deep, garlic cloves, and soil. You have to maintain a 4-inch gap between each clove while planting. There must be drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, you are using.
Planting
• Now we start our procedure, first, you have to fill the pot with the organic soil mixture. Take Cloves from the garlic bulb and use the flat end pointing down in the soil because roots come from that side.
• During planting you have to push the cloves down at least 2- 3 inches deep into the soil.
• 1 inch of the soil must be left between the top of the clove and the top layer of the soil.
Harvesting
• If you are fulfilling the requirements, for example, the right soil, sunlight, and proper watering for growing garlic at your own home. Then you can enjoy the sight of growing fresh garlic in your yard or garden.
After a couple of weeks, shoots are at least 4 to 6 inches tall, you have to cut it and leave at least an inch of growth on each clove so it will help the plant to regrow again.
• You can easily recognize that your garlic bulb is ready for harvest when the leaves starting to turn brown. At this point you can remove them from the soil and leave them to dry for a week now they are ready to be cooked.
Best Bed For Indoor Gardening.
Storing
Garlic bulbs can be stored in a cool and dry place. You can also store them at your room temperature but not in the refrigerator. It can easily be stored for three to five months at 60° Fahrenheit. Its flavor is improved when the bulbs dry
I hope this discussion will help you to plant garlic cloves at your home. Garlic has many benefits and its taste is great.
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