Complete Garlic Cultivation Guide: Growing Methods from Sowing to Harvest

Garlic is a very healthy vegetable that can also be used as a seasoning. It is in relatively high demand on the market, so many people grow it. So what does the complete garlic cultivation guide look like?

1. Sowing

Choose a suitable garlic variety and plant it in loose, fertile soil. Apply base fertilizer before sowing.

To prevent garlic from freezing to death in severe winter cold, for garlic head production choose varieties with large heads, few cloves, weak bolting ability, a long dormancy period, and garlic heads weighing more than 50g; for garlic scape production, choose varieties that bolt early and have thick, long scapes.

The sowing time is from late September to early October each year, and it is best if the garlic can grow to 5-6 leaves before overwintering.

Garlic has fibrous roots that hang in suspension, with roots mainly distributed in the 5-25cm soil layer. The garlic root system has a weak ability to absorb water and fertilizer. Before sowing, deep plowing and fine soil preparation are required. Plow the soil 30-4cm deep, level the soil and make beds 3m wide.

The base fertilizer applied before sowing is generally fully decomposed high-quality organic fertilizer, with an application rate of 3-4m3/667㎡ + urea 450kg/667㎡ + phosphate fertilizer 450kg/667㎡ + potassium fertilizer 525kg/667㎡.

2. Watering

Garlic needs different amounts of watering at different growth stages, and sufficient moisture must be ensured during the sowing period.

Among these:

1. After garlic is sown, keep the soil sufficiently moist but not waterlogged to ensure uniform emergence;

2. During the seedling stage, irrigate 1-2 times according to soil conditions to promote root development, cultivate strong seedlings, and enhance cold resistance;

3. During the flower bud and bulb bud differentiation stage, water promptly with green-up water;

4. During the garlic scape elongation stage, strengthen fertilizer and water management and water continuously to keep the bed surface from drying out, using water to promote scape and leaf growth. Stop watering 2-3d before harvesting garlic scapes to increase toughness for easier scape harvesting, storage, and transport;

5. During the garlic head enlargement stage, water after the garlic scapes are harvested, keep the bed surface from drying out, avoid exposure to the sun, and prevent sunscald on the garlic heads. Stop irrigation 5d before harvest to promote faster transfer of assimilated substances from the leaves to the garlic heads.

3. Fertilizing

Simply fertilize reasonably according to the growth conditions of the garlic.

1. Seedling stage: apply 15-20kg of compound fertilizer per 667㎡ to supplement insufficient base fertilizer;

2. Flower stalk elongation stage: apply 15-20kg of compound fertilizer per 667㎡ as a top dressing to ensure sufficient nutrients and promote vigorous growth;

3. Garlic head enlargement stage: after harvesting garlic scapes and before harvesting garlic heads, apply 10-5kg of special compound fertilizer for garlic per 667㎡ together with irrigation to ensure abundant nutrients and promote garlic head enlargement.