If you want to grow garlic but don’t have space for a large garden or pot, you can try growing garlic in water. Growing garlic in water is a great way to have fresh garlic on hand when you want it, without the hassle and cost of grocery shopping.
Be aware that when you plant garlic in water, you will not be able to grow whole new cloves of the garlic.
Alternatively, you can plant the leaves (also called garlic sprouts) over a clove of garlic. These sprouts have the texture of green onions but have a mild garlic flavour.
1.Buy one or more garlic cloves that are beginning to sprout. When garlic is grown, the clove – still covered by its protective white coating – will produce a small green bud from its top.
Inspect a few of the lobes until you find some have sprouted. While you can try to grow non-sprouted garlic in water, you are more likely to be successful if you use sprouted cloves.
You can find suitable garlic cloves at your local grocery store. However, for better quality garlic that produces larger and tastier sprouts, visit your local farmers’ market.
2.Place the sprouted cloves in an 8-ounce (230g) glass bowl. Point the garlic so that the end of the clove is facing up. [3] It is best to plant garlic sprouts in a transparent glass container so that you can see the garlic sprouting from the roots and beginning to grow.
• If you do not have a glass jar, you can use a drinking mug or shotgun glass, if this works for you.
3.Pour the water into the jar so that it covers the bottom of the garlic clove. You can use lukewarm tap water. Depending on the size of the garlic clove, you will need to put about 1 inch (1.3 cm) of water in the jar. Avoid using very hot water. Otherwise, you will damage and possibly kill the cloves.
• If you completely submerge garlic underwater, it will die and rot.
4.Leave the pot on the windowsill for 4-7 days. Make sure the garlic clove gets plenty of sunlight. If the tops of growing garlic buds start to turn brown or wilt, move the glass out of the sun for one to two days.
5.Change the water if it turns dark brown. Cloudy brown water will be unhealthy for the garlic and may slow branch growth. To change the water, remove the garlic from the saucepan with one hand and use your other hand to drain the water from the pot.
Then put the cloves back in the saucepan and fill it with water.
Be careful not to fill the pot with water.
You should only change the water once or twice before the sprouts are ready to be harvested.
HARVEST THE SPROUTS
1.Allow the garlic shoots to grow until they are at least 7 inches (7.6 cm) high. Watch out for the garlic as green buds begin to appear from the top of the clove.
Delicate shoots will appear and quickly grow. When the buds are between 7.6 and 17.8 cm, they are ready to be harvested.
• If you harvest garlic sprouts prematurely, they will be bitter and unpleasant.
2.Cut the top third of garlic with kitchen scissors. So, if your shot is 7.6cm high, trim the top 1 inch (2.5cm). This portion will be tastier and less bitter than the garlic sprout.
In most cases, you will only be able to harvest the garlic sprouts once. The garlic clove is unlikely to produce new shoots after harvesting.
Cut off only the amount that you plan to use for a particular meal. If you try to store pre-cut garlic in the refrigerator, it will dry out and lose flavour.
3.Add garlic sprouts to salty dishes. Once you have harvested the tops of the garlic buds, use your scissors to cut them into small 0.64 cm (1⁄4 inch) pieces. Then add the sprouts to any savoury dish of your choice, including baked potatoes, soup, or scrambled eggs.
Also try adding chopped raw garlic sprouts to salads, sauces, or dips.
HOW TO GROW GREEN GARLIC IN WATER
It is very easy to plan garlic indoors without using potting soil. The way to do this includes using a glass container and a little water, and is the perfect way to grow garlic leaves year-round.
What exactly are garlic leaves? Also known as young garlic buds or garlic buds, garlic leaves are the buds that pop out of the garlic clove before the bulb forms. It is a less mature version of garlic, it tastes similar to chives, and is very similar to green onions or green onions.
3 COMMON TYPES OF GARLIC
There are three main types of garlic you can choose to grow at home. Soft-necked garlic is your best choice for growing garlic leaves, while hard-necked varieties are best for growing garlic peels.
1. Softneck: Softneck varieties like Silverskin are great for storage (the soft stems that give their name are easy to braid together when drying). The most common types with a soft neck are Korean red, Dujanski, German red, and Spanish Ruga.
2. Hardneck: tough garlic can be recognized by its unique ring of cloves and a milder flavor, while fine garlic likely incorporates garlic bulbs at the grocery store, with many layers of pods, and has a stronger, more traditional “garlic” taste.
3. Elephant: Bighorn garlic, also known as elephant garlic, is not generally a recommended variety for gardeners. Elephant garlic tastes the same as other garlic like shallots, without much of the strong garlic flavor.
RECOMMEND READING:
- HOW TO GROW GARLIC IN SUMMER
- HOW TO GROW GARLIC IN ONTARIO
- HOW TO GROW GARLIC IN GHANA : BEGINNERS GUIDE
- HOW DOES GARLIC GROW
- DIFFERENT TYPES OF GARLIC | GARLIC VARIETIES TO GROW IN THE GARDEN
HOW TO GROW GARLIC IN WATER
Growing garlic indoors is much easier than growing garlic seedlings outside. You don’t have to worry about the type of soil, weather conditions, mulch, weeds or pests – all you need is a clove of garlic, a cup of water and some sun.
1. Sprout a garlic clove.
Buy a garlic bulb at a local farmer’s market or grocery store and remove one or more cloves of garlic (be sure to keep the cloves inside their white, leafy rind). Sprouting garlic is a simple process – simply wrap the cloves in a damp paper towel and place them in a warm place. After about two days, the cloves should begin to sprout.
2. Place the popped cloves in a transparent container. You want the pointy end to be facing up. The float glass is the perfect size for a clove. For many cloves, a glass or drinking jar will work well.
3. Fill the container with water. The water level should cover just under half of the garlic scalp. Water at room temperature is ideal.
4. Place the container on the edge of a sunny window. Make sure the location you choose gets eight to 12 hours of sunlight per day. If the tops of the sprouted garlic cloves are starting to wilt, it may be because they are getting a lot of light and you need to remove the pot from the windowsill for a day or two.
5. Fill the water regularly. If the water turns a dark brown shade, pour the dirty water and fill it with the same amount of clean water.
6. Harvest garlic leaves after a week. During the week, you will notice green shoots growing up and roots growing from the base of the cloves. You will know the garlic leaves are ready to harvest once the buds are four to seven inches long.
When harvesting garlic leaves, cut off the upper third of the stem; Garlic leaves are more bitter near their base.
Ensure that you only harvest what you are ready to eat; Fresh garlic is tastier than garlic leaves stored in the refrigerator.
7. Chop the garlic leaves and add them to your favorite dish.
Garlic leaves are a great spice for many soups, sauces, stews, kinds of pasta, and french fries, and they are also a great alternative to chives on baked potatoes.
