How to Grow Garlic Indoors Year Round

Even in winter, you can grow garlic indoors to enjoy the fresh, flavorful greens and cloves.

Garlic (Allium sativum) is usually grown outdoors for its edible bulbs and greens. However, with a bit of skill, garlic can be grown indoors in pots, which is a particularly good solution for urban growers who don’t have the space for a large outdoor garden.

Growing garlic indoors can be trickier than cultivating it in your garden, and most of the time, indoor garlic is grown solely for the flavorful greens. However, if you have the patience for it, you can grow garlic greens and bulbs indoors to use in pesto-making, your favorite stir-fry, and much more. Learn how to grow the tastiest garlic right on your windowsill.

All parts of garlic are toxic to dogs and cats when ingested. Locate the garlic pots where your pets won't be able to munch on them.

Where to Plant Garlic Indoors

Compared to many other vegetables, garlic is a compact grower, which makes it relatively easy to keep in containers. Garlic can be grown indoors in a simple terra-cotta pot at least 6 inches deep and filled with well-draining potting soil, as long as it has a drainage hole. Choose an indoor location that receives six to eight hours of bright light daily—garlic thrives with lots of sunlight. If bright light isn't available, growing the garlic under a grow light is an option, but the plants won't be as robust as those grown in natural light.

Related: The 12 Best Grow Lights to Help Your Plants Thrive in 2023

How and When to Plant Garlic Indoors

The best time to plant garlic indoors depends on whether you want to grow greens or bulbs. If you’re content growing only garlic greens, you can plant garlic cloves indoors anytime. However, if you want to grow plump and delicious garlic bulbs, aim to plant the garlic cloves in early autumn. Garlic cloves planted at this time of the year produce harvestable bulbs by the following spring.

If you want to grow garlic for greens, plant multiple cloves in a single pot, but make sure the cloves aren’t touching. In about 7 to 10 days, garlic greens will emerge, and you can snip them off to use in salads, stir-fries, and other dishes. Leaving about 1 inch of greens on the cloves encourages them to resprout, delivering a few harvests of greens before the cloves are exhausted.

If you want to grow garlic bulbs indoors, follow these steps:

1. Chill the garlic. When grown outdoors in gardens, garlic is planted in autumn and enters a dormant state in winter, which is necessary for bulb formation. When you grow garlic indoors, you need to replicate the cold temperatures of a winter garden. Both softneck and hardneck garlic cloves should be chilled for several weeks before planting. You can do this either by placing garlic cloves in your refrigerator or potting up the garlic and placing the pots outside for a few weeks in autumn or winter when the temperatures are cool. This brief period of cold encourages garlic cloves to germinate and is an essential step for growing garlic bulbs indoors.

2. Separate the cloves. After chilling the garlic bulbs, gently break the garlic cloves apart with your fingers, keeping as much papery skin on the cloves as possible. As you work, inspect the cloves and discard any that look damaged, moldy, or soft.

3. Add soil. Next, fill the growing container with a standard, well-draining potting mix, adding enough mix to reach about 2 inches below the pot’s rim.

4. Place the cloves. Place the garlic cloves, pointed ends up, in the pot and press each clove about halfway into the potting mix. If you want to grow multiple garlic cloves in a single pot, space each clove at least 6 inches apart.

5. Pour in more soil. After planting the garlic, fill the pot with more potting mix so each garlic clove is covered with about 1/2 inch of soil. Gently firm the potting mix around the garlic and water the cloves.
   

Related: The 13 Best Potting Soils for Indoor and Outdoor Plants

Care for Garlic Indoors

Like other vegetables, garlic needs the right balance of light, water and fertilizer to grow properly. While this is important for garlic plants grown outdoors, it’s even more critical for indoor garlic because it relies on you for water, light, and other care needs.

Light

Garlic plants require at least six hours of bright indirect light daily to grow properly, and this is particularly important if you want to grow garlic bulbs rather than greens. If you have a bright south- or west-facing window, locate your garlic pots there. If you don’t have enough bright light indoors, add a grow light to the environment.

Soil and Water

Garlic should be watered consistently so the well-draining potting soil feels moist but never soggy. If you’re in doubt about whether the garlic needs water, feel the soil. If the soil is dry to the touch, it’s time to water the plants.

Temperature and Humidity

Average home temperatures and humidity are suitable for growing garlic indoors. Garlic tolerates dry conditions, so you don't need to supplement the humidity.

Fertilizer

Growing garlic for greens doesn't require fertilizer, but when you grow garlic bulbs, fertilize the garlic twice a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength, following the instructions on the packaging.

Potting and Repotting

Although a terra-cotta pot is ideal for growing garlic indoors, you can also use other containers, such as upcycled milk jugs, but don’t forget to drill drainage holes in the bottoms to prevent soggy soil.

The width of the container is dependent on how many garlic cloves you plan to grow. If you want to grow garlic bulbs, you may prefer to use individual pots or choose a wide planter because the cloves need to be spaced at least 6 inches apart. If you grow garlic exclusively for greens, plant individual cloves close together in a single pot.

Pests and Problems

Garlic in the garden has some natural pest resistance built in, and when it grows indoors, garlic is unlikely to attract the spider mites, leaf miners, or other pests that afflict outdoor plants. Using purchased potting soil and keeping the pots containing garlic indoors all year limits pests.

How to Harvest Indoor Garlic

Garlic greens can be harvested as needed by snipping off the greens as they grow, but if you want to grow garlic bulbs, you need to be patient because these plants take a while to mature.

Fall-planted garlic should be ready to harvest by the following spring or early summer. You’ll know it's time to dig the garlic when the leaves turn brown and droop. At this point, stop watering the plants and allow the remainder of the leaves to dry out. Then, dig up your homegrown garlic bulbs and store them in a root cellar or cool basement or add them to your favorite recipes.

Types of Garlic

Garlic is divided into two main categories: softneck garlic (Allium sativum var. sativum) and hardneck garlic (Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon). Both garlic varieties can potentially be grown indoors, especially if you want to grow garlic greens. However, if the goal is to harvest garlic bulbs, softneck garlic tends to yield better results in indoor setups. Hardneck garlic grows best in a cold environment, which can be difficult to achieve indoors.

You can order garlic online or from seed catalogs. Whether you prefer the familiar white garlic or want to try a color-tinted variety, you can find it online. You may also be able to grow garlic from cloves purchased at the grocery store, but the germination rates may not be as good as with fresh organic garlic cloves grown and sold as seed cloves.

'Chilean Silverskin'

Allium sativum 'Chilean Silverskin' is a softneck type that is seldom seen in grocery stores. The bulbs are 2–3 inches in diameter, and the plants are 12 to 24 inches tall. The cloves have a slight pinkish tinge. This long-storing cultivar has a mild flavor and is easy to grow.

'California Early'

Allium sativum 'California Early' is a classic softneck garlic with a mild flavor. It grows quickly to 14-18 inches tall and can be harvested sooner than most other types of garlic.

'California Late'

Allium sativum 'California Late' is the most common garlic grown in the U.S. It produces large bulbs with stronger flavor than 'California Early' and matures later.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to grow garlic bulbs indoors?

Although garlic greens can be ready to harvest about one to two weeks after planting, garlic bulbs take much longer. When grown from cloves, garlic bulbs should be ready to harvest in about eight to nine months.

Can I start garlic indoors in winter?

You can start garlic indoors at any time of the year. However, if you want to harvest garlic in spring or summer, plant your garlic cloves in fall.

How do you grow an endless supply of garlic indoors?

Garlic greens are easy to grow indoors and are a great way to always have that fresh garlic flavor on hand. If you’d like to grow garlic greens, plant cloves in a pot and then harvest their greens as they grow. Since garlic cloves will eventually be exhausted by growing greens, succession-plant new cloves every few weeks to provide your kitchen with a continuous supply of indoor garlic.

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