Garlic not only brings spicy heat to the table. Its presence in the garden alone protects plant neighbors from pests and diseases. It is therefore always worth planting the botanical jack of all trades. Learn all the important growing factors.

When is planting time?

Garlic develops its optimum when planted in October. Those who miss this date will have another chance in February. The harvest is then a little smaller because the tubers lose volume.

What should the location be like?

Experienced gardeners offer the following site conditions so that garlic can develop its full aroma:

  • a sun-kissed location, warm and sheltered
  • nutritious soil, humic, loose and fresh
  • preferably sandy-loamy, without the risk of waterlogging

Garlic also finds ideal conditions for splendid growth in a tub or window box (€16.99) on a sunny balcony, preferably on the south side of the house.

Which plants do you recommend?

Excellent seedlings should be as fresh as possible. In this respect, you should rather rely on offers from specialist retailers. Cut an onion into several cloves and let them dry for a few days. Sort out discolored garlic cloves.

If you favor sowing seeds, befriending a garlic gardener now pays dividends. Just ask for some spring onions.

How is garlic successfully planted in the garden?

Anyone who heeds the following instructions has the best chance of a rich garlic harvest:

  • Rake the soil at the planting site and weed meticulously
  • If you like, you can work sieved garden compost into the clod
  • stick the garlic cloves 6-7 cm deep into the ground
  • Garlic seeds go half as deep into the soil

Plant garlic 15-20 cm apart so you can later rake, fertilize and water freely. A row spacing of 45-50 cm also simplifies maintenance.

Does garlic get along with all plant neighbors?

Garlic is considered a natural aid in combating pests and diseases. Of course, not all plants in the garden benefit from this protective mechanism.

  • Good neighbors are: strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, beetroot, parsley
  • Bad neighbors are: all types of cabbage, peas, beans, leeks

Which care measures are important?

The care of garlic is limited to 3 central aspects:

  • keep the soil constantly moist
  • fertilize with compost every 14 days
  • rake and pull weeds regularly

When is garlic ready to harvest?

Regardless of which planting season you choose, garlic will be ready for harvest by August. At the latest when the flowers wither, you should get the bulbs out of the ground. If you can't wait, you can harvest your home-grown garlic before it blooms. In this case, however, there are no breeding onions available for propagation.

tips and tricks

Although garlic is fully hardy, warm soil goes a long way to improving crop quality. If you spread out a mulch film after planting, the sun's heat stays longer in the soil for the benefit of nutritious garlic bulbs.

GTH

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Care tips