Planting garlic is not difficult at all – even though it is not native to our region. If you follow a few simple basic rules, it will also work at home.
If you don’t have a green thumb, you’ve made exactly the right choice with garlic. It belongs to the allium family, which is usually very easy to care for. It is also winter hardy and only needs enough sun and moisture to grow optimally.
To plant garlic yourself, all you need is a fresh clove of garlic. With a little patience, you’ll soon be harvesting your own garlic.
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Planting garlic: the right time
As with all herbs and spices, the timing of when you plant the seeds or bulbs is critical:
- Garlic should ideally be planted in the fall so it can sprout in the spring.
- Although you can start in the spring, garlic plants will often be smaller and grow more slowly.
- Just as important as the timing is the right soil:
Only when the garlic plant gets enough nutrients can it grow roots and sprout.
Loose soil, such as humus or special herbal soil, which contains particularly high levels of nutrients, is best.
However, fertilizer is not necessary.
Planting garlic on the balcony
You can easily plant garlic in a small pot or box on the balcony:
To prevent waterlogging, the bottom layer in the pot should consist of small stones or compost. This will allow the water to drain away and prevent mold from forming.
Choose a sunny spot on your balcony close to the house wall and plant the garlic clove in the soil as described above.
Again, water only occasionally and feel free to let the soil dry out a bit.
Plant garlic in the garden
The easiest way to plant garlic is in a small bed:
- First, loosen the soil.
- Then insert the garlic cloves into the soil about four to five centimeters with the tip facing up.
- Caution: do not plant the individual cloves too close to each other so that the plants have enough space later. Ten to 15 centimeters apart is sufficient.
- At the end you have to close the holes again and water a little.
These are the care tips you should follow:
- Make sure that the soil does not get too wet.
- You should also loosen the soil from time to time.
- Even if frost and cold can hardly harm the garlic plant, you should still protect it from heavy rain: Therefore, cover the bed with a tarp in winter.
Important: Do not water too much, otherwise the garlic may rot!
Harvesting home-grown garlic
In summer you can harvest your garlic. You can even use the stalks in the kitchen: They are great for flavoring dishes of all kinds, you can use the stalks similar to spring onions.