Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is found in many Central European deciduous forests, but it may not be harvested everywhere. Conservation regulations and the fox tapeworm can make growing in your own backyard an interesting alternative to harvesting in the forest.
Only use fresh seed
Even under optimal storage conditions, wild garlic seeds only remain germinable for a maximum of six months, so you should only use seeds that are as fresh as possible for sowing. When sowing, you should also note that wild garlic can sometimes take a long time to germinate. Since it is a cold germ, the seeds should be worked into the soil either in summer or autumn, but no later than mid-February. Since little plants sometimes only develop from it in the second year, patience is required when caring for them. Growing the wild garlic in bowls makes little sense, since the soil moisture cannot usually be guaranteed over a long period of time. This should also be taken into account when sowing outdoors and a spot in the shade that is already weed-free should be selected.
Choose the right location
It is almost impossible to successfully plant wild garlic in sunny, dry and very sandy locations. On the other hand, if the site conditions are well suited to the needs of this forest plant, wild garlic will spread to dense stands within a few years. A place under deciduous trees and shrubs is ideal, as there is constant soil moisture and shade. In addition, almost no other plants grow under these conditions, so that competition for nutrients and light is negligible. Since it is possible to control the population in one's own garden, if the wild garlic occurrences are kept clean, there is less of a risk of confusion with poisonous doubles such as the following:
- lily of the valley
- Poisonous Aaron's Staff
- autumn crocus
Enable self-seeding
For sowing wild garlic, you can also collect the withered inflorescences from wild wild garlic stands and rake them into the ground at the planned location in your own garden. In the first two years you should only harvest a few leaves from the first wild garlic plants, so that they can continue to multiply via the underground bulbs and self-sowing without human intervention.
tips and tricks
Sowing wild garlic sometimes requires a lot of patience. Planting a large stock of wild garlic in the garden is faster with wild garlic bulbs or even with pre-grown plants from the garden trade.