Garlic is a surprisingly easy plant to grow. It doesn’t require much expertise, or even a backyard. All you need is a pot, some soil, and a sunny spot. Just plant the cloves, and a few months later, you'll be rewarded with plump, whole bulbs and green, fresh sprouts. Incorporating these homegrown herbs into your dishes can be incredibly rewarding. Furthermore, garlic not only repels vampires but also garden pests. So, even if you don’t cook with it, you can still use garlic as a pest control. Here’s how to grow garlic from a clove.

If you’d also like to grow some other kitchen essentials indoors, check out my Herbs Growing Guide, Broccoli Growing Guide, and Lemon Tree Growing Guide.

Can You Grow Garlic in Pots or Water Indoors?

Absolutely! Growing garlic in pots is the best way to grow it indoors - the soil provides all necessary nutrients, stability, and depth for the roots and green sprouts. On the other hand, if you choose to grow garlic in water, you’ll have a constant supply of fresh leaves, but you won’t be able to harvest new, full bulbs.

When Is the Best Time to Plant Garlic?

Garlic is best planted in the fall, preferably within two weeks of the first frost. If you miss the this window, you can still plant it in the spring, but spring-planted garlic will not be as large and as flavorful as fall-planted garlic. 

How to Choose the Garlic to Plant?

Garlic mainly comes in two varieties: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck garlic produces tall, sturdy scapes at the beginning of the growing season, which typically has a strong, pungent flavor but a short shelf life of only three months. And, its cloves are larger but fewer in number, around a dozen. Softneck garlic, in contrast, lacks hard scapes and delivers a milder flavor, but has a longer shelf life of up to six months and can produce up to 40 cloves.

The choice between these types largely depends on the location of your garden. Softneck garlic does best in areas near the equator with relatively stable daylight, while hardneck garlic prefers cooler climates father from the equator.

Whichever type you choose, try to get organic garlic. Supermarket garlic sometimes contains growth inhibitors to prevent sprouting. Purchasing from the local garden center is often the best bet, as the garlic there is usually better suited to your local climate and easier to cultivate. 

How to Grow Garlic from a Clove?

Now that you’ve chosen your garlic variety and gathered your planting kit, it’s time to get started on planting! The process of a humble clove growing to a verdant plant is quite straightforward, and here’s how to do it:

Clove Preparation

Select large, healthy garlic cloves from the bulb, leaving their papery skin on. Soak the cloves in warm water for several hours or even overnight to encourage quicker sprouting. Some people will sterilize their garlic by soaking it in alcohol or vodka for about 20 minutes, but I’ve never tried that, and my garlic has grown well without it. 

Planting in Soil

Use a deep pot, at least 6 to 8 inches tall, and has good drainage holes. The size depends on how many cloves you want to plant - typically, one clove fits well in a 6-inch pot, while a 10 to 12-inch pot can accommodate 3 to 4 cloves.

For soil, use a well-draining potting mix, like vegetable blend with perlite, and amend your garden beds with compost and a balanced fertilizer, aiming for a soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0.

When planting, fill the pot about two-thirds full with moist soil, place the clove with the pointed end facing up and the root end down, and bury it 1 to 2 inches deep in warmer climates or 3 to 4 inches deep in cooler areas, spacing the cloves 3 to 6 inches apart. Cover gently and pat down soil.

Water thoroughly after planting. Ensure pots drain well and don’t sit in water. Place the pots in full, direct sunlight for 6 to 8 hours daily. You can use a south window or grow light if needed.

If you’re planting in the fall, consider adding 4 to 6-inch layer of mulch, such as grass clippings, leaves, or straws, to help regulate the soil temperature.

Growing in Water

Use a small glass, jar, or shallow dish. Place the clove root-end down. Add just enough water to cover the bottom 1/4 inch of the clove, ensuring the roots are submerged wet while keeping the top dry. Place the container on a sunny windowsill to encourage growth. Remember to change the water every 1 to 2 days to prevent rot and mold.

How to Care for the Garlic Plant?

Once you’ve planted your garlic, the work isn’t over yet. It still needs some care to become a culinary essential:

Sunlight: This is the most important. The garlic plant needs 6-8 hours of direct sunlight each day, with a south or west-facing window being the best choice. If natural light is limited, you can supplement with an LED grow light positioned 6 to 12 inches above the plants, running it for 12 to 16 hours per day. Insufficient light causes weak growth and prevents bulb formation.

Watering: The key is to keep soil evenly moist but never soggy, as garlic rots easily in waterlogged soil. To determine when to water, simply check if the top inch of soil feels slightly dry, and when you do water, make sure to water thoroughly until it drains out the bottom, then empty the saucer immediately to avoid wetting leaves. Generally, you’ll want to water about once or twice a week, but this can be adjusted for pot size, temperature, and light exposure. If you’re growing garlic in water, change the water every 1 to 2 days.

Temperature: Garlic prefers cool to moderate room temperature, ideally between 60-75°F (15-24°C). Avoid heat and drafts. If you’re growing garlic indoors, consider using an INKBIRD Temperature Controller to maintain a stable temperature.

Fertilizing: Feeding your garlic plants can be optional, because compost is often sufficient. But you can still do it as needed. For greens, consider giving them a light dose of diluted balanced liquid fertilizer or seaweed/fish emulsion every 3-4 weeks. For bulbs, use a lower-nitrogen fertilizer later in growth like the stage of bloom booster. Stop fertilizing when leaves yellow.

Air Circulation: Ensure good airflow to prevent fungal diseases.

Pest Control: Garlic grown indoors is rarely pest-prone, but if you grow it outdoors, beware of cutworms or thrips, which can be treated with Sevin Insect Killer.

How Long Does Garlic Take to Grow?

After planting garlic in a pot, you should see it sprout within 1-2 weeks. If you’re growing it in water, it should be even faster, taking only 3-5 days. However, if you plant garlic from a clove in the fall, you’ll need to wait until the next summer - about 8-10 months - before you can harvest a full head of garlic. You’ll know it’s ready when the lower leaves start to turn brown and dry out.