How to Grow Garlic in a Container

Garlic has to be the easiest thing to grow. You can plant it in pots, in the ground, in empty milk jugs. Really, any container will do. Regular water and fertilizer are all it needs. Today I am going to show you how easy it is to Grow Garlic in a Container.

Technically, October in Texas is garlic planting time. You will need to check with a local garden center to find out the best time to plant garden in your area. First, you need some garlic. Not any old garlic, but garlic that has NOT been sprayed with an anti-sprouting agent. Separate the cloves, but don’t peel them.

Look at all of those cloves of garlic. Each one will become a head of garlic. Awe-some!Get your gardening gloves and add some organic garden soil to a large container that has drainage. Do not get potting mix, it won’t work. It needs to be potting soil.

Now for the hard part. Take your be-gloved finger and poke a hole in the potting soil that is approximately twice the depth of the garlic clove.

Then, place the garlic clove pointy-side up in the hole. Cover with dirt. Water. Fertilize when you plant and again in the Spring. Water regularly, but don’t over-water. A week or so later you will have some shoots sprouting.

Knowing when to harvest requires some observation. I know my garlic is ready to bulb when the green tops fall over and the bottom leaves turn brown. At this point the garlic needs to dry out and not be watered. I leave it in the container for a week or two. Occasionally, rain will be forecast which will interfere with the harvest. If your garlic is in a container, then moving it is your best option. Otherwise, you may have to harvest early.

I then cure my garlic by letting it dry out on the back porch. The time of this depends on your location. I know my garlic is ready for storage when the garlic skins are dry and the neck is tight.Once harvested you can now enjoy it for the next few months. Once you’ve had fresh, home-grown garlic, you will never go back.

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Some Important Things to Know About Growing Garlic

• There are two types of garlic:  Softneck Garlic and Hardneck Garlic.
• Softneck garlic does better in warmer southern climates. This type braids well for storage.
• Hardneck garlic does better in colder northern climates. This type does not braid well.
• Garlic takes the better part of a year to grow. Most gardeners plant sometime in the fall and harvest in summer.
• Garlic likes lots of sun but can tolerate partial shade.
• Garlic doesn’t like wet soil which makes it ideal for patio pots or large containers.

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