Summary
- Easily grow an endless supply of garlic indoors using just water, garlic cloves, and a container.
- Garlic sprouts, also known as garlic scapes, are not only tasty but also packed with health benefits.
- Growing garlic indoors doesn't require soil and can be done with minimal materials, making it perfect for beginners.
Who doesn’t love garlic? With its incredible taste, versatility, and health benefits, it is undeniably a superfood. The only thing wrong with garlic is when you run out of garlic!
That problem, though, can be a thing of the past. When you know how to grow an endless supply of garlic indoors, you'll never run out. Instead of looking out the window daydreaming about garlic, you can now look on your windowsill at your very own garlic plant.
Growing your own garlic will save you money, ensure that your garlic is pesticide and contamination-free, and ensure that you always have garlic somewhere in the house. It is a perfect plant for gardening beginners because it doesn’t involve significant time, materials, or plant-growing expertise. Learn how to grow garlic two different ways to maintain a constant supply.
Growing Garlic: What Are Garlic Sprouts?
Get to know these little growers
When you grow garlic indoors using this simple water-only method, you'll end up with garlic sprouts! These sprouts, which also go by the name garlic scapes, are the stalks that grow out of garlic bulbs. They are extremely tasty and have a milder, lighter flavor than traditional garlic.
Garlic sprouts also have a ton of great health benefits, like fighting cancer, protecting your heart, preventing strokes, strengthening your immune system, and preventing wrinkles and premature aging. Garlic sprouts, in particular, are powerful, because garlic that has sprouted for five days has the highest antioxidant activity.
What You Will Need to Grow Garlic
Just three things are needed: garlic, water, and a container!
If you have garlic bulbs and a container, you're well on your way toward growing this aromatic year-round.
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What Container Should You Use? |
You can use a cup, bowl, or pot to hold your garlic. It is best to use a clear container, so you can see when the water needs to be changed. Through a clear container, you can actually watch the roots grow. Glass is preferable to plastic because it is stronger. Think a mason jar, or even something small like a shot glass. |
An added bonus of a clear container is that growing garlic can look rather pretty when it's growing this way! |
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What Garlic Should You Use? |
Try to find a garlic clove that is sprouting already. It's possible to use one that's not sprouting, but that can make the growing process more difficult. |
No soil is needed! The green shoots will get all the nutrients they need from their cloves and the water. |
How to Grow an Endless Supply of Garlic Indoors
Start growing garlic to start your own neverending supply
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Step One |
Ready Your Materials and Plant Space |
The best place to grow garlic indoors is on a windowsill. The garlic needs a lot of light to flourish, so make sure it has a window where the curtains or blinds are not often closed. Ready your materials: a container, your garlic, and a bit of water. |
Worried about the garlic smelling up your space? Although garlic is pungent when cooked, it actually does not noticeably smell while growing. Because of this, feel free to grow your garlic in a space you use often! Seeing the garlic will help you remember to change the water. |
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Step Two |
Add Water to the Container |
Time to add water to your container. When you add the water, make sure that it is high enough that it covers the entire bottom of the cup but low enough that it will only touch the bottom of the garlic.
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If the water does become murky, it doesn't necessarily mean you've messed anything up; just change the water! |
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Step Three |
Add Your Garlic to the Container |
Now that you have set up its container, it is time for you to add the garlic! Be careful that it is well-balanced and standing up within the water, and only partially submerged. |
If necessary, try using toothpicks to keep your garlic upright to ensure that it is only the bottom of it that is touching the water. Insert two toothpicks into the fleshy part of the garlic and balance it on the edge of a glass. |
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Step Four |
Growing Garlic |
After a few days, the garlic will begin to grow roots. Make sure that you change out the water every few days or when it begins to look cloudy. Also, make sure that your plant is continuing to get enough light. |
You should change the water out every few days, but you can change it out every day if you wish to. It will keep the water from ever getting too smelly or murky. |
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Step Five |
Harvest |
Once your shoots are over 3 inches tall, you can begin to harvest them. Only remove a third of the sprout at a time. To continue growing, the garlic sprouts need those blades to take in energy from the sun. If you cut it down too much, it will not continue to grow. |
Make sure you are using sharp scissors to harvest the garlic sprouts. You don’t have to harvest your garlic right away. Garlic sprouts can grow up to 10 inches tall! |
Try an Alternative Growing Method
There's more than one way to start growing garlic
If the idea of growing a plant without soil is weirding you out, you can also grow garlic indoors in potting soil. With this method, you will plant cloves of garlic and they will grow into entire bulbs.
- Simply put the garlic bulb about 1 inch below the potting soil (in a pot, of course).
- Keep the pot on a windowsill, exposed to the sun.
- Water the soil whenever it dries out.
- The sprouts should take a week or two to appear.
- When the sprouts dry up and stop growing, dig up the full bulbs underneath. You can even take cloves from the bulbs and repeat this process for an endless supply!
Garlic sprouts have incredible health benefits and taste amazing. Once you know how to grow an endless supply of them, you will always have this ingredient on hand and ready to use!