A Detailed Guide to Garlic Chive Planting Time and Container Growing Methods

People living in cities today have long lost the chance to grow vegetables in a garden, but this is no obstacle to the resourceful working people, and growing vegetables in containers has even become “fashionable”. Below is an introduction to the planting time and methods for garlic chives; friends who are unfamiliar with it, come and take a look!

I. Basic facts about garlic chives

1. Other names for garlic chives

Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) are a perennial herbaceous plant with a strong odor that is cultivated all over the country. Garlic chives are also called Fengben, Caozhongru, Qiyangcao, Lazy Person's Vegetable, Changshengjiu, Zhuangyangcao, Biancai, Xichangcao, and so on.

2. The appearance of garlic chives

Garlic chives reach a height of 20 to 50 cm, and have about 40 roots of three kinds: absorbing roots, transport and storage roots, and storage roots; they grow nutrient stems and flower stems, while the leaves are flat, ribbon-like and clustered, with two types, broad-leaved and narrow-leaved, and the leaf surface of garlic chives also has a waxy bloom.

3. The value of garlic chives

The vitamins and minerals contained in garlic chives play a certain role in promoting gastrointestinal motility, preventing the occurrence of colorectal cancer and reducing the absorption of cholesterol. In addition, they can also be of some help in tonifying the kidneys, dispersing blood stasis, detoxifying and stopping dysentery.

II. Planting time for garlic chives

One of the most important things in growing vegetables is to grasp the planting time well, because once the planting time is grasped well, growing garlic chives will also become much easier. Generally, the sowing time for garlic chives is divided into spring sowing, summer sowing and autumn sowing:

1. Spring sowing of garlic chives: spring sowing of garlic chives should be early rather than late; sowing can be done when the local soil temperature stabilizes at 5-10°C. At this time the ground has not completely thawed through, the surface is relatively moist before the thawing period arrives, and seedlings emerge very easily; this sowing method also avoids weed damage, because after sowing the garlic chive seedlings emerge relatively quickly, while the temperature at that time is not yet suitable for weed germination, creating a time difference.

2. Summer sowing of garlic chives: summer sowing of garlic chives is generally done after cucumbers and tomatoes are cleared from the garden; at this time the temperature is high and drought and waterlogging are likely, so the sowing rate should be about one third greater than in spring, the soil cover should not be too thick, and the soil should be kept moist to help full seedling emergence.

3. Autumn sowing of garlic chives: generally sown around the Start of Autumn, with a sowing rate twice that of spring, and management based mainly on keeping the soil alternately dry and moist. In the later period, attention should be paid to weed damage. Autumn sowing is generally not recommended.

4. However, in the Huang-Huai River basin area of our country, the spring sowing time for garlic chives is from early April to mid-April, in the south it is from December to February, and in the north it is from May to June.

III. Methods for growing garlic chives in containers

1. For growing garlic chives in containers at home, you can choose a somewhat large rectangular container; it is best to use fertile, loose soil plus some nutrient soil and leaf mold, so that the garlic chives will grow better. Garlic chives can be grown from seed or from roots; generally, if grown from seed, the growing process may take much longer than growing from roots.

2. If planting from root clusters, the growing pot should preferably be more than 20 cm deep, because the root system of garlic chives is relatively well developed, and using a deeper container is more conducive to the spreading and growth of the roots. In addition, remember to water the planted garlic chives.

3. If the planted garlic chives grow very densely later on, you can divide the clumps and transplant them, either by enlarging the area of the flower pot or by transplanting them into other containers, so that more garlic chives can grow. If you want lush garlic chives, watering and fertilizing are absolutely indispensable, and reasonable light must not be forgotten either.

4. Generally, after about two years of growing garlic chives, the nutrients in the soil have basically been used up, so you need to repot it and change the soil; after changing the soil, water the container thoroughly, but be careful not to let water accumulate, so as to avoid root rot in the garlic chives.

5. When the garlic chives grow to about 20 cm, they can be harvested for eating; after cutting, you can sprinkle some plant ash, decomposed chicken manure, or cooked soybeans (the soybeans are best buried in the soil) into the flower pot, and after a period of time you will again have a pot of lush container-grown garlic chives.

Growing a pot of green garlic chives on the balcony in a flower pot not only beautifies the indoor environment but can also be used to make delicious dishes, killing two birds with one stone; friends who are interested can quickly take action.