How to Grow Garlic Bulbs

Growing garlic bulbs at home is a newfound hobby for those who love gardening. Garlic is the most heralded vegetable in the garden that is easy to harvest, provided one has got the accurate knowledge about the plant psychology. Intake of garlic is also found beneficial for the fetus.

For these and many other reasons, garlic is used worldwide. The biggest benefit of garlic is its culinary usage. Many food recipes are simply incomplete without garlic. There are many 'garlic aficionados', who only prefer homegrown garlic and not the one from the stores. There is a vital difference in the flavor and aroma in both, they say. People grow garlic at home, by adapting the method of 'growing garlic from clove'. Let's learn how to grow garlic bulbs.

Choose Garlic Planting Stock
Selecting the perfect garlic seed stock is extremely important as each clove is an individual garlic bulb, in future. 'Growing garlic from seed' is nothing but growing garlic from cloves, because each clove of garlic is efficient enough to grow garlic bulbs. The first step in learning 'how to grow garlic from a clove indoors' is to make sure that you select only the large garlic cloves for plantation and keep the smaller ones for eating! Well, I don't think I need to guide you about 'how to separate the garlic cloves from each other.' Do I?

Soil Preparation
You cannot grow garlic bulbs if you do not have a proper knowledge about what type of soil suits garlic plant the best and what must one do to prepare the ideal soil conditions for growing garlic bulbs at home. Garlic needs fertile and loamy soil with good drainage to thrive. If your garden is lacking these basic things, do amend the garden soil with several organic matters like manure, compost, aged straws and leaf mulch, etc. Try to maintain soil pH between 6 to 7.

Plant the Clove
Make sure to plant garlic bulbs at the turning of the season, (some people say plant garlic near Halloween and continue till, after thanksgiving! Simple, isn't it!) that is one has enough time to plant the garlic cloves before the soil starts to freeze. Allow 3 to 4 weeks for the cloves to get settled into the winter beds, so that they can easily grow the leaves during spring. Plant the cloves 5 to 6 inches apart from each other and make sure you plant them in the 'tip up' position. Cover the top of the cloves with 1 inch of loose soil and simply pat it down. If living in much colder climates, cover the cloves with 2 inches of soil.

Mulching and Irrigation
Make sure you cover all the garlic stock underneath with a great deal of mulch. There are many types of mulches and you can use the best available one, for the cause. You can use compost, old straws, grass clippings, etc. Mulching is very important to protect the garlic from the uneven temperatures and this will also maintain the moisture levels from underneath. Proper irrigation is also very important. Garlics thrive best in moist soil but make sure you never make large fluctuations in the water supply as it can cause uneven shapes of the garlic bulbs. Make sure you water the garlic regularly, at least in its bud formation stage. You can also add some nitrogen rich foliage feed during the spring time. It is also important for weed control of the garlic plants.

Harvesting Garlic Bulbs
Hardneck breeds of garlic can develop bulbils on the woody scape or flowers. Make sure you remove them so as to ensure that the plant is putting all its energy into the bulbs underneath and not into the flowers. Softneck garlics, on the contrary, only grow flowers when they are ready to be harvested. Harvesting is the most crucial procedure in growing garlic bulbs at home. Stop watering the plant when the leaves start to turn brown in color. To avoid damage to the garlic bulbs, while harvesting, make sure you use the best gardening tools like a quality shovel. Take proper precautions while removing the remnants of soil from the bulbs as well. Always harvest the garlic bulbs during early morning or when the temperature is cooler.

Curing and Storage
All is done, now what remains is storage preparations of the harvested garlic bulbs. Make sure you bundle the garlic plants into twines and place them in hanging position. Select the storage place in the house that is out of reach from direct sunlight. Garlic bulb curing will take 3 to 4 weeks. Test cut a stalk of garlic, if you see some liquid dripping out from it, then you will definitely have to wait. Garlic bulbs adore cool temperatures but never store them in refrigerators. Now, for the usage, make sure to have the larger garlic bulbs first and the smallest later.

Many people say that once you taste the homegrown garlic, you will never go for the garlic available in stores. Mind you, it is true.