Learn how to Grow Garlic at home using simple cost effective methods for your own homegrown Harvest!
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What is Garlic?
Garlic is one of the oldest plants in the world and belongs to the Liliaceae family, along with onions, chives, Leeks and shallots. They are easily distinguished by their pungent scent and distinctive flavour! I love the stuff! Have a look at my Onion Heart Cheesy Garlic Bread 😋
The Garlic Bulb is the ‘food part’ of the plant and comprises of typically 8-20 teardrop shaped cloves (segments). Each clove has a parchment like skin covering, which is peeled off before used in culinary dishes.
How It Started
My garlic growing story started with a supermarket Garlic bulb *Every seed seller will tell you, never grow from Supermarket bulbs, buy from a reputable seller whom can guarantee disease and virus free bulbs…That’s fine, but I figure if its safe enough to eat garlic from a supermarket, surely its safe enough to grow from one?
Years later and countless harvests later, my solitary supermarket bulb has yielded hundreds of cloves and flavoured many meals. After every Garlic harvest I hold back a handful of cloves to grow from. Here’s how I do it….
How I Grow Garlic From Bulbs
- In Autumn I Select the largest cloves from my harvest and rub any flaky skin away.
- Cut the top point off each clove, this is so the green shoots can grow easily.
- Place the cloves, cut side up in around 2 cm of water (just enough so the bottom of the clove is submerged) then place them on a sunny windowsill and wait.
- After roughly 4 days or sooner you should begin to see little white roots form at the bottom of each clove
- Within the week, green shoots will appear.
When to Plant Out Garlic Bulbs
When the shoots are at least 2 cm in length, plant them out with the foliage above soil level in Late Autumn, Early Winter
Where To Plant Garlic
Grow garlic in a warm, sunny spot, in well-drained soil. Garlic does not like soil that becomes to soggy during winter
Caring For Garlic
Water garlic during dry periods , but stop watering altogether during the last few weeks before harvest. Keep the Garlic bed free of weeds.
When To Harvest Garlic
Garlic bulbs are ready to harvest once the leaves have begun to turn yellow ( early Summer, around July). Harvest garlic as soon as it’s ready, try not to delay pulling them…late lifted Garlic will not store as well.
This years Garlic Harvest
How To Dry Garlic Bulbs for storage
I like to hang my Garlic to dry (skins on) in a shed or sheltered environment for around 4 weeks, until the leaves turn completely brown.
Why Do you dry Garlic Bulbs?
The process is called curing. Curing garlic actually occurs in two stages, the first stage begins in the ground as the leaves of the Garlic plant begin to yellow and die. The second stage is done above ground once the garlic is harvested, and hung to dry. This whole process facilitates the curing process and prepares the garlic for longer term storage.
Want To Grow A Vegetable Garden?
Have a look at my DIY Greenhouse , DIY Potting shelter and Potting Shed and have a gander at these ‘How To’ Veggie Posts…
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