How to Grow Garlic in Water (Best Guide in 2023)

You love garlic, but don’t have enough space to plant it in your garden. Maybe you don’t want to bother with watering your garlic crops every day. No matter what the reason, you want to know How to grow garlic in water in 2023?

Without even needing potting soil, growing garlic indoors is surprisingly simple. This is the ideal technique to produce garlic sprouts year-round and just requires a small amount of water and a glass container.

What precisely are garlic greens? Garlic greens, sometimes referred to as baby garlic or garlic sprigs, are the shoots that develop from a garlic clove prior to the bulb developing. They resemble scallions or green onions and are a less developed kind of garlic scapes. They also taste something like garlic chives.

Without a doubt. Let’s be real. Although it is possible to harvest green garlic in a matter of weeks, you shouldn’t expect the best results when growing bulbs. To grow garlic bulbs, it takes time. It can take 7-8 months.

It is difficult to grow large-sized garlic bulbs indoors. However, there is plenty of green garlic that can be used to garnish soups and pastas as well as stir-fries. They are delicious additions to any dish and have a subtle garlic aroma and flavor. You can even harvest garlic bulbs in a matter of months with a little more effort.

How to Grow Garlic in Water (In 7 Easy Steps)

Garlic plants may be grown inside water considerably more easily than they can be planted outside. You only need a garlic clove, a glass of water, and some sunlight; you can forget about mulch, weeds, bugs, or soil type. So, let’s take a look at how to grow garlic in water before we move on to some other methods of growing garlic indoors.

Purchase a Garlic Bulb

Make a garlic clove sprout. Purchase a garlic bulb from your neighborhood market or supermarket, then separate one or more cloves (make sure to keep the cloves inside their papery white skin). Garlic sprouting is an easy process: Simply cover your cloves in a wet paper towel and set them somewhere warm. The sprouting of your cloves should start around day two.

Place the clove into a container

The sprouting clove should be put in a transparent container. The sprouting end with a point should be facing up. A lone clove fits perfectly in a shot glass. A drinking glass or jar works nicely for many cloves.

Add water to a container

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Pour the water into a container. A little bit less than half of the garlic sprout should be covered by water. Water at room temperature is good.

Position the container

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Position the container on a bright windowsill. Make sure the area you select receives eight to twelve hours of sunshine each day. You should take your container off the windowsill for one to two days if the tops of your sprouting garlic cloves begin to droop. This might be an indication that they are receiving too much light.

Replenish the water

Regularly replenish the water. Pour out the unclean water and replace it with an equal quantity of clean water if the water turns a murky shade of brown.

Harvest the garlic sprouts

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After a week, harvest the garlic sprouts. You should see roots emerging from the clove’s base and upward-facing green shoots during the course of the week. When the shoots are four to seven inches tall, your garlic greens are ready to be harvested. Garlic sprouts should only be harvested from the top third of the shoot since they get more bitter as they grow. Only pick what you are prepared to consume; fresh garlic has a stronger flavor than garlic greens kept in the fridge.

Use your garlic sprouts

Chop your garlic greens and include them in your preferred recipe. In addition to being an excellent substitute for chives on baked potatoes, garlic greens are a fantastic spice for many soups, sauces, stews, pasta dishes, and stir-fries.

When is the best time to plant garlic cloves in an indoor garden?

Garlic cloves should be planted in fall when it is cold outside. You may be able to harvest the bulbs in spring if they survive the winter.

It’s never too late to plant garlic. Even if the first season was not yet over, garlic can still be planted at any time. In two to three weeks, the buds will appear and be ready for cutting.

Fall planting is the best way to get the largest bulbs. Even if you plant cloves, green tops will still grow the same.

How to Grow Garlic Indoors

Although it’s an easy project, if you are starting to grow garlic indoors, you will want to use the recommended method. These are the Instructions for how to plant garlic.

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The material will be required

Garlic bulb

Garlic bulbs can be found in grocery stores’ produce sections or at farmer’s markets. Most store-bought garlic has been sprayed with growth inhibitors in order to protect against growth inhibitors. You can search for organic garlic or look for a bulb that is already sprouting. You can also purchase garlic seeds from a nursery. Garlic seeds are large, disease-free cloves that are grown in bulbs.

Softleck varieties are better indoors as they don’t require cooling before planting. To get the best bulbs, hardneck varieties must be chilled in the fridge for at least one month. No matter what type of garlic you use to grow green garlic, they will all work great regardless of whether or not you freeze them.

The container

For growing garlic, you can use an ordinary clay container. A container that is at least 6-8 inches deep will be sufficient for the plant’s shallow roots. If you intend to harvest bulbs, the container should be wide enough that there are at least 6 inches between the bulbs. Window plants are best for this purpose. You can grow many cloves in one small container if you’re growing green garlic. You should ensure that the bottom has drainage holes. You will need to dig it if it isn’t.

Soil mixture

To grow garlic, you can use standard potting mixes. If the potting mixture doesn’t include balanced fertilizer, you can add compost. The soil texture can be improved by adding perlite or vermiculite. This will allow for better drainage.

Fertilizer

To be able to plant in the soil, you will need a slow-release granular fertilizer. For feeding the plants during the growing season, liquid fertilizer such as fish emulsion and algae is ideal.

How to grow garlic

Now it is time to learn how to grow garlic indoors. These are the steps to follow:

• Prepare the container

To prevent soil from eroding, cover drainage holes with paper, coffee filters, or clay. To fill the edges with the potting mixture, place about 2 inches of clay.

• Prepare the specimens

You are now ready to plant your container. Next, prepare the seeds for planting. You will need to split the garlic bulb. The beans should not be peeled. Instead, leave the paper skin on to protect them from any damage. For planting, choose the largest and most healthy seed. Any that are soft or have begun to rot should be thrown out.

• Start the seeds

Pointy side down, push the seeds 2 to 3-inches deep into the soil. The grains should not be visible from the ground. Cover any tips with 1/2 inch of soil.

You will need to space garlic bulbs at 6 inches. You can plant the seeds closer together than that, at 2 inches. You can remove some plants once they reach a certain height so that the rest of the plants can grow larger. You can include sprouts in your meal.

After planting, water the soil gently. Make sure to water the soil enough to drain any moisture.

• Search for a sunny spot

A sunny spot is best for your garlic pot. Plants thrive best in a south-facing window that receives at least six hours of sunlight per day. You can buy grow lights if you don’t have any open sunlight. Your plants will thrive if you keep the lights on during daylight hours, and turn them off at night.

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Indoor garlic plants: Care Tips

Now that you have learned how you can grow garlic indoors, it’s time to learn tips about how to take care of plants so they keep growing. Here are the basics:

• Irrigation

To keep the soil moist, water regularly. Overwatering can cause damage to garlic plants as it can lead to rot in the bulbs under the skin. It is a good idea to test the soil by sticking your finger in it to check if it is dry. If it is, you will need to water it.

• fertilization

Garlic requires a long growing season. It will require regular feeding in order to grow optimally. Once the seedlings reach 6 inches in height, fertilize them twice per month with liquid fertilizer during spring and summer.

Harvesting

• Chopping green garlic

When they reach at least 4 to 6 inches in height, the green tops are ready for cutting. This should take 3 to 3 weeks. Always leave at least 1 inch of growth when cutting greens to allow the plants to photosynthesize and grow.

• Digging for garlic bulbs

Garlic bulbs take longer to grow. It depends on where you grow the garlic, so expect to wait 6-10 months before harvesting the bulbs.

Stop watering your plants when the leaves stop growing or turn brown. The sprouts will become completely dry after a few weeks. You can now remove the bulbs but be careful not to damage them.

Use it immediately in your kitchen, or keep it in a dark and cool place for a few weeks.

Conclusion

Now you know how to grow your garlic in both the soil and in water. You can choose between the two options; it will be wonderful in either case!