Knowing how to grow garlic in pots is the way to enjoy this crop even without outdoor gardening space.
Fortunately, all kinds of garlic areeasy to grow in containers.
Exceptionally tolerant of cold temperatures, garlic can be grown outdoors year-round inUSDA Hardiness Zones 4-7.
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Outside of these areas, some extra precautions for cold and warm temperatures will be beneficial.
There aretwo kinds of garlicto choose from: softneck and hardneck.
Their flavors are similar, but your growing conditions may dictate which one works best for your area.
Softneck garlic will store for upwards of a year while hardneck garlic stores for roughly six months.
Hardneck garlic also produces a distinctive flowering stem, calledgarlic scape, down the center of the head.
Like other types of bulbs, garlic cloves will begin to put out roots well before their leaves emerge.
Then, follow these five steps to plant garlic in pots.
Avoid using garlic from the grocery store, as it may be treated with growth inhibitors that prevent sprouting.
Instead, look for garlic specifically meant for planting.
In especially cold winter areas, newly planted garlic cloves in outdoor pots should be protected.
Cover the pot with athick layer of strawor fallen leaves to avoid damaging the plants while they grow roots.
Remove the protective layer in the spring.
Another option is keeping the pot in an unheated space, like a garage, until spring.
In hotter, drier climates, this might mean daily watering.
Can You Grow Garlic Indoors?
Its possible togrow garlicin pots indoors.
Fertilizing indoor garlic is not necessary as the cloves will have enough stored nutrients to support the leaves.
Cut garlic leaves as soon as theyve reached a few inches in length.
The cloves may send up a second flush of leaves for one more harvest.
