How to grow garlic

Garlic is a bulbous vegetable having great tastes, belongs to the Allium family. It is extremely easy to grow and takes up a little room to grow. In this guide, we will cover all foundational steps for growing garlic plant. We will elaborate on all essential requirements including the best time to grow and suitable climate to achieve maximum production. How to plant garlic to attain the healthiest yield with the best quality and quantity? How to grow garlic plant by keeping the eye on different factors that can affect or harm the crop? How to care your plant from different diseases and climate effects? Finally, we will point out the best suitable time for harvesting garlic and different symptoms that will show you the exact harvesting time.

Garlic has innumerable benefits on human health which have been endorsed by different researches and studies. It has different compounds which reduce the blood pressure and improve the cholesterol level. Furthermore, it lowers the risks of heart diseases. If you are beginner gardener then garlic is the best option to grow. It takes very small space and tremendously easy to grow. If you are a beginner and don’t know how to grow garlic then in this guide, we will cover even every minute details of planting garlic. Let’s first discuss the primary conditions for growing garlic.

Conditions for growing garlic

It is a common point that how much it is important to choose the best suitable time to grow your crop. If you miss the right time to plant your crop then you cannot attain the same taste and quantity as you can have in the best growing season. Therefore, you must know about the appropriate conditions of planting garlic and apply them while growing your own crops.

First of all, choose a suitable spot where you want to grow your crop. Garlic plant prefers a sunny spot. So if you want tasteful garlic then you should grow it in a place where it can have full sun for a few hours.

For the finest growth of the garlic plant, your soil must be well prepared. Soil should be well-drained. The pH of the soil should be 6.5 to 7. You must add organic compound into the soil. If you have sandy soil then increase the amount of organic compound. You should add well-rotted compost and aged manure into the soil. Never use fresh manure, it can be a cause of diseases. We will suggest you grow the garlic plant on the raised bed because these are a bulbous plant. The raised bed should be 2 to 3 feet wide and 10 to 12 inches tall at least. Now you have learned the basic requirements for planting garlic. Let’s move ahead and learn when to plant garlic?

When to plant garlic?

Garlic is mostly planted in early winter or in the fall. If you belong to the warmer climate then you can plant in early spring. After the two weeks (duration can vary according to the condition of your climate) of first fall frost date, you should plant the garlic before the ground freezes. By doing so, garlic can produce the best roots. Finally, in a cooler climate, September and November are the best options for planting garlic and in a warm area, February and March are the best options.

How to plant garlic?

So far, you have been familiarized with the imperative conditions and the optimal time for the matchless yield for the garlic plant. Now you have complete elementary knowledge for planting garlic. Let’s move towards our central point of discussion, how to plant garlic?

• Figure it out the best suitable time for planting garlic.
• Plant them in containers for home and indoor gardening.
• Choose a sunny spot where it can have full sun. If the place is partially shaded, then it’s not a big deal. However, garlic plant shouldn’t be in the shade for a long duration.
• Make sure that your soil should be well-drained and enrich with organic material. Sandy loam is a surpassing option.
• Select the type of garlic you want to grow either Hardneck or Softneck garlic. Hardneck type includes Rocambole, Porcelain, and Purple Striped garlic. Artichoke and Silver skins garlic are the famous type of Softneck garlic.
• Take the cloves from healthy garlic. Be careful not to damage the cloves otherwise, garlic will not grow.
• Push the cloves into the soil and make sure that tips should be upward and the distance between two cloves should be 8 inches.
• Add a layer of the mulch over the planted cloves.
• Newly planted cloves require fertilizers.

How to grow garlic and care of the plant?

You have learned the most important point about the plantation method of the garlic. Gardeners can’t obtain maximum yield by just planting the garlic. You must care for your crop to attain good quality. Furthermore, you will have to maintain this environment until the harvesting of the crop.

• This crop doesn’t require much water. Water it just once per week but if the stems are laying down then you should water 2 times per week. When the bulb starts developing, increase water gradually. During a hot climate, you can water the crop 3 to 5 days per week.
• Remove the mulch when the threat of the frost completely abolished.
• Cut off any flower during the spring because it will decrease the size of the bulb.
• Always keep the site well weeded.
• Don’t grow any crop in the vicinity of garlic.
• Try to avoid to plant the garlic where you have recently grown any other member of the Allium family like an onion.
• White rot is a fungus, mostly attack during the cool weather. Be careful about that.

When and how to harvest garlic?

Harvesting garlic depends on the plantation time. If you pull out garlic too early, the bulb will be disintegrated and thin. If you pull them out too late then bulb size will be good but with split skin. Most probably, the disease will affect the garlic. The best clue for harvesting garlic is yellowish foliage. When the foliage turns yellow then you can start harvesting garlic. You can dig one bulb just to make sure the bulb size. If the bulb size is quite enough you can harvest the crop.