Growing Garlic Indoors?

[cookie]

I am currently in a flat with no garden.

I was hoping to try and grow garlic indoors.

I have read some places this is ok - as long as the pot is 1ft deep. Others say it must be grown outside.

Any advice would be appreciated.

If I can grow indoor what soil is best? What area of the flat (ie lots of light or not, near radiator etc)? And will it be ok to sow now from shop bought cloves?

Many thanks for any suggestions.

[Odsox]

As I understand it garlic needs a period of cold to make it produce the cloves we are used to, otherwise it just makes a larger single bulb like an onion set. I have never tested it though.
What you could do is plant some cloves in pots, wrap and in a polythene bag and put in the bottom of your fridge for a month or so.
I would have thought that a foot deep pot would be a bit over kill, 6" ought to be deep enough.
Ordinary soil if you can get it, otherwise potting compost and place in a well lit window with ordinary room temperatures, or even an unheated spare room window.
Then by mid-summer you can enjoy the taste of wet (green) garlic that tastes wonderful ... and nothing like the garlic you buy.

[cookie]

Thanks for the advice. I can't wait to grow garlic. I have tasted it out of other peoples gardens and it certainly has a nicer taste. I'm not sure trying it in a fridge would work though. Have to wait til the spring when I get a garden of sorts.

[gigglybug]

I have just found that some of my older garlic has started sprouting, so I thought I might try and grow them in pringle type tubes, has anyone else tried using these?? Do you think they might be to small??

[Claripup]

My OH keeps garlic in the fridge, so when they start to sprout I pinch the sprouting cloves and plant them, I don't know if I will get usable bulbs or not, but from what I understand about other plants grown from bulb (daffs, tulips etc) is that it's the bulb that needs the cold, it doesn't need to be in soil for that stage.

Hope that helps a little... and if it works certainly avoids having pots of earth in the fridge

[Jinwin]

How do you know when the garlic's ready? What does 'wet' garlic look like? This is the first year I've grown it so I haven't got a clue about anything. Also, can you use the 'wet' garlic just like normal garlic?

[Odsox]

"Wet" garlic is ready when the leaves turn yellow and show signs of dying back.
To eat, wet garlic is a lot milder that regular garlic and has a definite creamy texture. My all time favourite is to make a white sauce with wet garlic and pour over fried chicken or pork chops, makes my mouth water just typing this

For regular garlic you leave in the ground until the leaves are brown dead and then lift and leave in the sun to dry and ripen.
Wet garlic doesn't keep very long so only lift one root as you need it, and as it's a lot milder you use the whole root in one go.

[Jinwin]

Mmmm, sounds delicious... Can't wait till they're ready now! Thanks Tony