Growing Garlic in Pots indoors or outdoors is not difficult, and you’ll be able to get a supply of fresh green stalks, flowers, and even garlic bulbs all year if you read this guide How to Grow Garlic Indoors carefully.                                             

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How to Grow Garlic Indoors?

If you have ever wondered about how to grow garlic indoors, then the good news is that it is going to be considerably easier than you were perhaps aware of. All you need is a small spot in your home where you can keep the pot, and you are good to go!

Doesn’t matter whether it receives sunlight or not–if it does, all good; this means you can harvest garlic cloves as well. Even if your spot gets only indirect light, you can produce fresh garlic greens for your recipes.

When to Plant Garlic Indoors?

Usually, the fall is the right planting season when growing garlic outdoors in gardens. But the good news is when growing indoors, or on your balcony, you can plant garlic any time of the year.

Plant garlic indoors in early fall once the chilling period of several weeks is over. Then, you will have harvest-ready bulbs by spring. Provide plenty of sunlight to the plant for the best results.

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                 Choosing a Container and Spacing             

Before you ask How to Grow Garlic Indoors, pick the right pot. Look for a container that is at least 8-10 inches deep. If you intend to grow garlic greens, plant the cloves closer. However, if you are thinking about growing garlic bulbs, maintain a 4-6 inches gap between each clove. Also, ensure the pot has enough drainage holes in the bottom.

You can try Growing Garlic Indoors from the grocery store garlic. However, as they are treated with chemicals, the chances of a successful propagation will be less, so for the best result, buy from local farmers, order them online or check out your local gardening store for organic garlic bulbs. Also, remember that you don’t need to remove the paper-like husk from the cloves.

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Growing Garlic Indoors

If you are interested in Growing Garlic in Pots, just get the garlic bulb from the farmer’s market, not from commercial grocery stores. Because the garlic in these stores might be old and treated with a sprout inhibitor, you won’t get the desired result after planting them. 

  • Fill the pot with rich soil containing compost or manure; you can even use the garden soil.
  • Separate the individual cloves from the garlic bulbs and ensure that the flat end points down in the soil, as that is where the roots come from.
  • When planting them, you must push the top of the cloves down at least 1 to 2 inches deep into the soil.
  • Maintain the spacing of 2 to 4 inches between each clove; if you’re growing garlic for just greens, you can plant them just 2 inches apart.

Best Varieties for Growing Garlic Indoors

The Softneck varieties are best suited for growing garlic indoors, and some of the popular types include ‘California Early,’ ‘Inchelium Red,’ ‘Silverskin,’ and ‘California Late.’

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Requirements for Growing Garlic Indoors

Location

Once you have planted the bulbs, decide where to place the pot. If there is a room in your home with a big window, keep it on the windowsill there. If it’s a south or west-facing window, you’re lucky, and that will be the best spot for Growing Garlic Indoors.

If it’s way too dark, you can also buy grow lights to make life easier, and they can certainly be rather effective. You can also grow your garlic in a window box.

Soil

It is important that you use a well-draining growing medium while Growing Garlic Indoors. Outdoors, garlic loves sandy, loamy soil, and you can try to emulate this. Consider this a fun project and experiment; your garlic won’t be too finicky about the soil and will grow well easily.

Water

You must water garlic enough to keep the soil slightly moist but not overly wet. Water the plant when the topsoil feels a little dry to the touch; this is because you’re growing it indoors, and you can’t keep it consistently wet. Do not moisten the growing medium daily or too frequently while Growing Garlic Indoors.

Temperature and Humidity

Avoid any freezing or sweltering temperatures. Otherwise, your normal room temperature would be fine for growing garlic in pots indoors. The ideal temperature is between 60-80°F or 15-26°C. Garlic is native to Iran and other arid regions of Asia, and it can do well in drier conditions. This is why it does not need any added humidity to thrive well.

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Garlic Care

Fertilizer

You do not need to feed the plant much if you only grow it for the greens. However, if you are developing garlic for the bulbs, use a water-soluble balanced fertilizer twice a month diluted to half the strength.

You can also use kelp meal or fish fertilizer while Growing Garlic Indoors.

Pruning

You need to wait for the shoots to grow 3 to 6 inches tall before snipping the greens using scissors for cooking. Remember to leave about an inch or two of the shoot on each clove to allow them to keep growing.

Harvesting Garlic

Harvesting Greens

With the right soil, light, and proper watering, within 2 weeks, you’ll be able to view the fresh new garlic shoots coming out.

Start picking the greens once they are at least 4 to 6 inches tall, which will happen in just a couple of weeks (depending more on the weather). Leave an inch of growth on each clove to let your garlic plants regrow again.

Harvesting Bulbs

If you are growing garlic for the bulbs, you should be patient and wait 8-10 months for them to mature. Once the leaf shoots start to turn brown, withhold watering.

In 1-3 weeks, the shoots will start to dry out, and the bulbs will be ready for harvest. You can store these bulbs in a cool, dark place for 6-10 months.

Storing Tips: Split open the bulbs into cloves and keep the skin as much as possible. It is alright to brush off the papery husks and also throw away any cloves that show signs of decay. 

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  • Kathryn Dyson
  • October 1, 2017 At 10:19 pm
  • I heard that outdoor garlic are larger because they go through a frost. What is your opinion? I want to grow indoors but produce the best quaility I can.
  • Reply
  • Rozamond
  • April 2, 2021 At 9:17 pm
  • Garlic bulbs are typically broken into cloves and planted in pots for indoor growing at the end of the outdoor gardening season, whenever that might occur in your region. It only takes a couple of weeks for the green shoots to be large enough to begin snipping them off for cooking, but if you want to grow actual garlic bulbs, you ll need to leave the shoots in place and grow the plants through the winter. months. Planted indoors in early fall, you may have harvestable bulbs by early to late spring, provided you were able to give the plants plenty of sunlight. Garlic needs lots of direct sunlight and don t do well with artificial light.
  • Reply

I heard that outdoor garlic are larger because they go through a frost. What is your opinion? I want to grow indoors but produce the best quaility I can.

Garlic bulbs are typically broken into cloves and planted in pots for indoor growing at the end of the outdoor gardening season, whenever that might occur in your region. It only takes a couple of weeks for the green shoots to be large enough to begin snipping them off for cooking, but if you want to grow actual garlic bulbs, you ll need to leave the shoots in place and grow the plants through the winter. months. Planted indoors in early fall, you may have harvestable bulbs by early to late spring, provided you were able to give the plants plenty of sunlight. Garlic needs lots of direct sunlight and don t do well with artificial light.

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