Terrace Gardening: Grow Garlic In Pots At Home With These Simple Steps
You can easily grow garlic right on your terrace. We break down everything from picking the right cloves and potting them to soil mix, watering, and fertilizers. Plus, check out the exact math to harvest up to 2 kg of garlic.
Did you know you can grow fresh garlic from the ones you use in your kitchen? You just need the right conditions for each clove to sprout into a brand-new garlic bulb. You can easily try garlic farming in pots even if you have limited space on your terrace. You cannot just celebrate when the leaves sprout, though. You need good-sized garlic bulbs to form under the soil. You must pick the right garlic variety and give the plants enough space to grow. You should also figure out the best season to grow garlic in your area first.
You must choose healthy garlic bulbs without any rot or fungus for planting. You can separate them and use the firm, good-sized cloves for your pots. You should pick healthy medium or large cloves instead of the very small ones. You do not need to peel the skin off completely before planting the cloves. You must plant each clove with its pointy end facing upwards. You cannot expect all store-bought garlic to grow the exact same way. You should ideally ask a local gardening expert to help you pick the best variety for your region.
You need well-draining soil for the garlic roots and bulbs to grow properly. You can prepare the potting mix by combining garden soil, well-rotted compost, and materials that loosen the soil to improve drainage. You will make it hard for the bulbs to grow if the soil is too tight. You should not plant the garlic cloves too close to each other. You generally need a gap of about 7.5 to 10 cm between plants and a 15 cm gap between rows when planting in the ground. You must plan this spacing based on the size of your pot. You should plant each clove about 3 to 5 cm deep and make sure the pointy end faces up.
You need enough sunlight for the garlic to grow and form bulbs. You can pick a spot that gets about 6 hours or more of sunlight every day. You might see poor bulb formation on very hot terraces, though, because garlic usually grows best in cooler weather. You must maintain steady soil moisture without letting the water log. You can use organic fertilizers like well-rotted compost in limited amounts. You should not think that adding extra fertilizer will make the bulbs bigger. You can only expect a good harvest when the soil, temperature, and water all come together perfectly.
You cannot harvest garlic just a few weeks after planting it. You will generally need 100 to 130 days or even more, depending on the variety. You will know it is time to harvest when the plant leaves turn yellow or brown and start drying up. You must not dig up the bulbs before the leaves dry out, though. You should carefully pull the ready plant from the soil, clean off the dirt stuck to the bulbs, and dry them in a shady, well-ventilated spot. You might notice changes in the harvest time and bulb size because you are growing them in pots. You also run the risk of bulbs not forming fully if you grow them in hot weather.
You can actually hit the goal of harvesting 2 kg from planting 250 grams of garlic. You just need enough healthy garlic cloves, and each one must grow into a good-sized bulb. You will need about 50 to 67 bulbs to reach 2 kg if each harvested garlic bulb weighs around 30 to 40 grams on average. You should know this is just basic math and not a guaranteed yield for pot farming. You must first count how many healthy planting cloves you actually get from your 250 grams of garlic. You might not hit the 2 kg mark, no matter how well the plants grow, if the clove count is too low. You also have no guarantee that every single clove will sprout and form a full bulb. You should just make sure you have the right variety, proper spacing, and a cool growing environment before trying. You will find it best to start small and calculate your actual yield first.
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