Grow an endless supply of the freshest Garlic Greens in Plastic Bottles without a garden this way. You’ll be surprised!
Want to savor fresh garlic greens in soups, stir-fries, omelets, and salads all year round? This step-by-step tutorial will show you how to grow garlic greens right in your home without having a garden.
What’s the Trick
The trick is using the water method! Instead of planting the garlic cloves in the soil, you’ll suspend garlic bulbs or bunch of cloves just above the water in the bottle. These cloves will sprout roots that reach down for the water, and within a few days nice green shoots will emerge for you to eat. It’s a clean, easy way to see fast results and perfect for a windowsill garden.
Does it Really Work?
This works quite well for growing garlic greens! It’s a fantastic option for beginners because it’s so simple. You won’t need any soil, fancy pots, or special fertilizers. All you really need are some garlic bulbs (not the kind you find pre-peeled in the store; look for bulbs with healthy cloves still attached).
Here’s something you should know before you start, this method won’t grow full garlic bulbs, just the tasty green shoots that appear first. These greens have a milder, crunchy garlicky flavor compared to a clove, similar to chives or scallions.
The good news is they grow fast! You can expect to harvest your first batch of garlic greens within 2 weeks, depending more on how quickly they sprout.
Just cut the garlic blades whenever you need, and the plant will keep growing new shoots that you can enjoy.
Grow Unlimited Garlic Greens at Home This Way
Before you start, gather the following things–you’ll need them.
- Clear plastic bottles (500 ml to 1 liter size works well)
- Sharp knife or scissors
- Potting mix
- Garlic bulbs with healthy, firm cloves
Once you have these, here’s what to do:
1. Prepare the Bottles
You can either crop the bottle in half or just cut the top off so it becomes wide enough to hold the garlic cloves, not bigger; this depends on the size of the bottle.
Just make sure you do it carefully because the cut bottle will have sharp edges. How many bottles you’ll need depends on how much you want to harvest; start with at least 6-8 bottles.
2. Fill it with Water
Pour clean chlorine free water into the bottles, filling it up to the level where water starts touching the Basal Plate of the garlic bulb (flat root part in the bottom).
3. Placing the Garlic Clove
Place each of the garlic bulbs on top of the individual bottle openings, with the pointy end facing upwards. The bulb should rest on the cut part, not fall inside the bottle. You can also use more than one clove for this.
You have to make sure that the bottom of the clove is in contact with the water inside constantly.
4. Growing and Care
Maintain your garlic green garden, “yeah that’s what we’ll call it 😃,” in a bright location near a window. It should get direct light in the morning or evening and indirect light for rest of the day as too much direct sun will heat up the water in the bottle.
As the water level in the bottle evaporates, keep an eye on it and top it up with fresh water when needed. The goal is to keep the water level just touching the bottom of the bulbs all the time. Simple, right?
Also, keep changing the old water every 2-3 days to provide fresh oxygen rich water. Once your garlic greens develop new shoots and roots, you can add a pinch of fertilizer in each bottle to stimulate the growth.
The garlic bulb won’t grow into full new garlic bulb, but as long as it stays firm, it will continue to produce garlic greens for a while. If you notice the cloves getting soft or mushy, it’s time to start again with a fresh clove.
5. Harvesting
In a few weeks, you should see green shoots emerge from the bulbs. Once they reach at least 5-6 inches in height, start picking these garlic greens. Simply snip them off with scissors for delicious recipes. Keep doing this successively every 2-3 weeks for never ending supply.
With a little water and recycled bottles, you can enjoy tasty garlic greens all year round! Here are more garlic growing hacks so you don’t have to buy it ever again.
