Garlic - useful in the garden and delicious in the kitchen. Here's how to plant garlic and how to harvest garlic.
Some love him, others hate him. Garlic! Everyone knows that it is he althy, but garlic can do even more. Distributed in the garden, it can on the one hand counteract fungal spores, which cavort in the soil and could 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 it comes from your own garden makes it even tastier. To ensure that nothing goes wrong when planting, you should know that garlic has its own special needs.
Planting garlic - you should know that
Garlic is a low-maintenance leek and relatively easy to grow. You can put it in the bed or grow it in pots on the balcony or window sill.
The right location
The right location is very important for the growth of the plant. Garlic likes it sunny better, but it must be not too moist. He has no problem with the cold in winter. If you still want to protect it from freezing temperatures, you can cover the bed with straw or mulch.
The right time
No matter when you plant the garlic, they will be ready to harvest at the same time.
The special thing about garlic is that it has two different planting times. You can grow it in autumn, but also in spring. The best time has proven to be autumn - in the period from September to October - as the plants grow significantly larger and stronger here. You can also plant garlic in the spring, but then you have to expect that the plants will be smaller. If you decide to go in spring, you should start growing as early as February.
The real earth
How the garlic develops depends not only on the time, but also on the soil - garlic likes a particularly nutrient-rich and loose soil. If you grow your garlic on the windowsill or on the balcony and accordingly in pots, you should make sure that noneWaterlogging occurs. The plant doesn't like that at all. To avoid this, you can put some gravel or small stones at the bottom of the pot so that the water can drain off easily.
Pull garlic from a clove
The easiest way to grow your own garlic is to plant an existing clove of garlic in the ground.
- Insert a clove of garlic about 3 cm deep into the prepared soil. Caution: The tip must point upwards.
- Leave at least 15 cm between each garlic plant.
Harvest garlic - How it's done
When can you harvest garlic?
There are different opinions about the right time to harvest garlic.
Some say that you can harvest single, large fresh garlic cloves after just one year. However, you should also know that the size of the harvested cloves also depends very much on the starting cloves.
Many hobby gardeners even leave the garlic for two years and only then harvest it. On the one hand, the tubers are then as big as you know them from the supermarket and, on the other hand, the taste is much more intense. Standing for two years is no problem for the garlic, so you don't have to worry about your plants even in winter. After two years, however, the garlic should be harvested.
How to harvest
Once you've found the timing that's right for you, harvesting the garlic won't be rocket science.
If the green leaves have withered, you can loosen the soil around the garlic a little and then carefully pull the garlic out by the green stalk. That's it. Now you can use it for seasoning or conjure up other delicious things with it.
Here are a few ideas:
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