Plant and harvest garlic

Garlic - useful in the garden and delicious in the kitchen. Here's how to plant garlic and harvest garlic.

Some love him, others hate him. Garlic! Everyone knows that he is healthy, but garlic can do more. Distributed in the garden, on the one hand, it can counteract fungal spores, which can frolic in the ground and be dangerous to other plants, on the other hand, it is also a remedy against voles .

But first and foremost, garlic (Allium sativum) should not be missing in any good kitchen. Knowing that he still comes from his own garden, makes him a bit more delicious. To ensure that nothing goes wrong when planting, you should know that garlic has its own special needs.

Plant garlic - you should know that

Garlic is an easy-care leek and can be grown relatively easily. You can put it in the bed or on the balcony or window sill in pots.

The right location

Very important for the growth of the plant is the right location. Garlic prefers sunny , but it can not be too humid . He has no problems with the cold in winter. If you still want to protect it in freezing temperatures, you can cover the bed with straw or mulch .

The right time

No matter when you put the garlic in the ground, they are ready for harvest at the same time. The special thing about garlic is that it has two different planting times. You can grow it in the fall, but also in the spring. The best time of the fall - in the time of September and October - proven, since the plants here are significantly larger and stronger. But you can also plant garlic only in the spring, but then have to expect that the plants are smaller. If you decide to spring, then you should start breeding in February.

The right earth

How the garlic develops depends not only on the time, but also on the particular soil - garlic likes a particularly nutrient-rich and loose soil . Who pulls his garlic on the windowsill or on the balcony and accordingly in pots, should take care that no waterlogging arises. The plant does not like that at all. To avoid this, you can put a little gravel or small stones in the bottom of the pot so that the water can run off well.

Pull garlic from a toe

The easiest way to grow garlic yourself is to plant an existing clove of garlic in the soil.

1. Put a clove of garlic about 3 cm deep into the prepared soil. Attention: The tip has to look up. 
2. Place at least 15 cm between each garlic plant.

Harvesting garlic - That's how it's done

When can you harvest garlic?

Garlic has different opinions about the right time to harvest.

Some say that after a year you can harvest single, big fresh garlic cloves. But you should also know that the size of the harvested toes also depends very much on the initial toe.

Many hobby gardeners even let the garlic stand for two years and harvest it only then. First, the tubers are then as big as they are known from the supermarket and on the other hand, the taste is much more intense. The two-year standing is no problem for the garlic, so you do not have to worry about your plants even in winter. After two years, the garlic should then be harvested.

How to harvest

If you have found the right time, it is no longer rocket science to harvest the garlic.

Once the leafy green has withered, you can loosen up the soil around the garlic a bit and then gently pull the garlic out of the green stalk. That's it. Now you can use it for seasoning or conjure up other delicious things out of it.