Chumasande MatiwaneGrowing your own food doesn’t require a lot of land. Even with limited space, such as a sunny deck or balcony, you can still cultivate many different fruits and vegetables. Of course, choosing the right crop will set you up for success. Garlic is a great example.
How and when to plant garlic
Growing the garlic needs a dormant cold period over the winter, so the best time to plant it is in Autumn for the mid-summer harvest.
Since your garlic is grown in a container, choosing the right one is important. Garlic requires space for roots to develop before it begins to bulb. So just prepare your container and choose a fresh, clean pot with newly amended soil.
Break apart an already existing garlic bulb. Breaking apart the bulb will give you about half a dozen smaller cloves; each one can grow into an entirely new plant.
When planting garlic, orientation is important: the root end of the clove should face down, while the sprout end should face up. Plant each clove deeply in the container, cover it with soil, and water well.
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How to care for your garlic
It’s easy to care for garlic when you know the basic requirements, which are sun, soil, and water. Grown like many other vegetables, garlic plants need full sun to show the best results. The garlic needs to collect the sun’s energy through photosynthesis and then converts that energy into starch, which it stores below ground in the bulb. So, six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily is necessary.
As with most potted plants, a nutrient-rich blend of potting soil and compost, with some perlite mixed in, should be a good starting point. You really need to be nutrient-rich always!
Consistent watering is very important for garlic. Containers are naturally drier than in-ground garden beds. Watering weekly is necessary. But garlic plants don’t like soggy soil; just consistent moisture will make a difference.
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