Planting garlic: tips for planting & growing

Planting garlic in your own garden - with these instructions, you can grow it step by step, from sticking to harvesting.

It is indispensable in the kitchen and is considered an absolute must in most countries around the world! the garlic (Allium sativum) originally comes from Asia and is very popular worldwide as a spice in cooking. As a relative of onion, leek and Co., the "bulb" of garlic is also an onion. In this country, the garlic cloves are mostly imported from other countries, and garlic tastes best fresh. The cultivation of the easy-care garlic plants also works very well in our latitudes. The following tips will help you to successfully plant garlic in your garden as well.

plant garlic

When planting garlic, there are a few things to keep in mind so that cultivation is successful and a decent harvest can be expected.

The ideal location

Garlic plants are not considered to be particularly demanding, but the right location should be chosen when setting (in technical jargon also sticking) the garlic cloves. For cultivation, the soil should be loose and nutrient-rich, sandy loam is ideal. It is very important for the plant that rainwater and irrigation water can drain off. It is therefore essential to avoid waterlogging. Well-drained soils with a high proportion of sand are therefore well suited for growing garlic. Heavy soils with a high proportion of loam or clay are less suitable. A sunny location should also be selected for optimal growth. Garlic can be grown wonderfully in mixed cultures, as its intense scent repels unwanted pests such as aphids keeps away. Tomatoes are suitable as neighbors, strawberries and carrots particularly good. However, it is important to ensure that no one is in close proximity to the garlic plants leek or onions to grow as these close relatives are attacked by the same pests. Crop rotation should therefore also be taken into account: Garlic should never be planted in the same area where leeks (Allioideae) grew the previous year.

These site characteristics are important for garlic cultivation:

• Loose, permeable and nutrient-rich soil
• No waterlogging (such as B. with very clayey soils)
• Sunny location
• In mixed culture with tomatoes, strawberries, carrots
• Do not plant near leeks or onions
• Not as a post-culture of leek plants

Garlic plants can also be planted in pots without any problems. As a shallow root, a depth of 10cm in the pot is sufficient for successful planting. It is important that the water can drain well. Essentially, the same conditions apply to this cultivation as in the bed.

Types of Garlic – Regular Garlic or Chives?

When choosing the right one garlic variety First of all, it should be noted that garlic cloves from the supermarket are of limited use for growing in the garden. The reason is as follows: the varieties that can be bought there are mostly imported from warmer and sunnier countries. They are therefore not used to our cooler climate in this country and do not grow optimally. Suppliers of seeds or onions therefore have a manageable number of varieties for your own garden. A distinction must be made between regular garlic, in which the cloves are used, and chives (Allium tuberosum), where the green of the plant is harvested.

stick garlic

Garlic is a plant that is best grown from cloves. The garlic cloves can be planted twice a year, in spring and autumn. For sticking, the toes are placed 15-20 cm apart at a depth of 3-4 cm. A row spacing of 30 cm is ideal. Fertilization is not absolutely necessary for the easy-care garlic plant. For an improved supply of nutrients, it is still advisable to prepare the soil with green manure and compost before planting. Only dried garlic cloves should be used for sticking to prevent rot. Using budding cloves that are already green on the inside will also shorten the grow time.

The following tips will help you successfully plug the garlic:

• Stuck in spring and/or fall
• Prepare the soil with green manure and compost
• Spacing of 15-20 cm, depth of 3-4 cm, row spacing 30 cm
• Pushed toes mature faster

Garlic plant care

In principle, the garlic plant is very easy to care for. The application of fertilizer is not absolutely necessary during the vegetation phase of the plant. Although nitrogen fertilizer increases the yield, the taste is weakened. In order to support the slow-growing garlic in the beginning, weeds in the bed should be removed regularly, as they compete with the garlic plant for nutrients. Garlic is also easy to handle when it comes to water: it should be watered sparingly, as the aromatic plant is sensitive to overwatering. It should only be watered on very hot days.

Caring for garlic plants is easy if you keep these points in mind:

• Fertilization during growth not necessary
• Regular removal of weeds
• Water little - preferably only on hot days

harvest garlic

The time of Garlic Harvest depends on when the garlic cloves were planted: When planting the garlic in autumn, you can look forward to the first fresh garlic bulbs as early as July. When planted out in spring, ripening takes a few weeks longer, so the harvest time is from August into autumn. It is recommended to harvest the garlic as soon as the top third of the plant begins to wither. For harvesting, the whole plant is pulled out of the ground. Care must be taken not to damage the bulb as this will reduce its shelf life.

In dry weather, the freshly harvested garlic can dry on the bed. To store the garlic, it is a good idea to plait the green part of the plant into a braid and hang it up in a well-ventilated, dry place together with the bulb. Garlic can be stored the longest in a dark and cool place. A small note: it should not be stored in the refrigerator, as it loses its aroma after a few days! As an alternative, garlic can also be pickled in oil to preserve the aroma.

Diseases and Pests in Garlic

Garlic cannot exactly be called disease-prone - on the contrary, it drives away its smell attracts pests like aphids, making it the perfect neighbor in a mixed crop power. In rare cases, the otherwise robust garlic can still be attacked by onion flies. The larvae of the animals are a typical pest in bulbous plants. The flies lay their eggs in the garlic plant in May, and the larvae then eat their way through the plant. Crop protection nets offer secure protection, and the flies cannot get through the narrow mesh. If the pests still occur, it is recommended, for example Organic vegetable sprinkles apply to increase the resistance of the plant. Other problems can occur in very rainy summers or when there is waterlogging. These conditions increase the likelihood of root rot and fungal infections. Affected plants should be removed from the bed. As a rule, however, problems rarely arise with garlic and cultivation is very easy.

Everyone knows and loves garlic, but do you know that one? chives? We will introduce you to chives and explain everything you need to know about cultivation, care and more.

Many thanks to Floragard for the support!