I plant some garlic in 12" deep, 18" in diameter containers every year. I plant about a dozen cloves per pot, more or less depending on the variety. I fertilize it a lot and that may be why it works for me. I try to use fresh potting soil, sometimes I have grown some in soil that has been used once for non-allium crops.

The heads and cloves are about the same size and weight as those grown in large raised beds, plus the potting soil seems to yield a cleaner crop, or at least, one that dries out more easily from which the heads emerge cleaner.

As a typical USerican, I do not speak metric much so liters mean little to me. Perhaps someone can translate for you.

Camp - I am probably the last that should comment after my dismal failure at garlic in pots last year but I also had 6-700 in ground bulbs rot due to the horrific weather.

Anyways, most people I know that grow garlic do so in containers. Size of container varies greatly but seems anything 20cm deep or so works. All are using a potting mix, Pro-mix BX or the like. My brother, a garlic nut, tells me to plant about 1/3 to 1/2 recommended spacing. Also recommends the first row being about 4-5cm from edge then work inwards. In his opinion, especially when planting tight, a regular fertilizing program as mentioned above is important.

Good luck

SCG

A litre is just over a quart. So 5 litres=about 1.3 gallons, 15 litres= about 4 gal., 25 litres= about 6.6 gal. (Amounts based on liquid volumes.)

The 15 litre pots will probably work best depending on their dimensions. Wider and somewhat shallower is better than narrow and deep. I don't grow garlic in containers but you should be able to plant them 4-5 inches apart (I plant 6 inches apart in-ground). Use a general purpose potting mix and as has already been said, be sure to fertilize.

Rodney

When planting garlic in containers, what do you do with the container during the winter? I planted garlic in the ground on 20 October and am considering a couple of pots. I don't have a cold frame so the pots must go outside or in an unheated shed.

For winter, put your containers in soil, to minimize the temperature fluctuation. You do not want the freeze and thaw in late winter and early spring. The tender leaves can be burnt or damaged.

Some say to use container to isolate the new garlic varieties to prevent soil borne diseases. But There are only so many garlic you can plant in pots and this is not practical. So a total separate garlic bed is the way to go.

For the folks who do not have a lot of room, yes, container garlic can be done. But there is no advantage over planting in the garden.

I use container to grow garlic green indoor over winter.

In the ground 6" x 6" spacing is about 15 cm x 15 cm. If you take good care of your pots and keep them well watered and fed you can plant closer than that in them. The bigger the container, and better flat than high, the easier it is to keep in a uniform condition, but the harder it is to move since any amount of dirt or potting soil weighs a lot.

In the ground 6" x 6" spacing is about 15 cm x 15 cm. If you take good care of your pots and keep them well watered and fed you can plant closer than that in them. The bigger the container, and better flat than high, the easier it is to keep in a uniform condition, but the harder it is to move since any amount of dirt or potting soil weighs a lot.

Planting garlic in pots is just not practical unless for garlic green, which can be planted very closely.

A raised bed is a perfect container. You can fill it with fresh potting mix and amend the way you wish it to be.

The OP has already stated they have white rot in the soil which can persist in the soil for up to 20 years. So planting in the ground just isn't possible without dousing the soil with chemicals. And I very highly doubt that a raised bed would work unless it was very deep since once the garlic roots reach the native soil the white rot sclerotia would infect the crop.

Rodney

Here is a link that might be useful: Onion and Garlic White Rot

This post was edited by theforgottenone1013 on Fri, Nov 7, 14 at 19:43

There can be various kinds of raised beds, from 2" above ground to 5' above ground.

Garlic roots mostly stay within the top 1' soil. To be safe, the OP can add to 2' new potting mix.

The main reason for raised bed is to minimize the temperature fluctuation.

If this is still not safe, then just build the raised bed above ground. This is the same as building a huge planter and put it on some support.

All these, make the garlic planting quite expensive...

campanula, I have been growing garlic in the polystyrene boxes that the supermarkets use for fish. Just poke lots of holes in the bottoms and sides for drainage and raise them off the ground with a couple of bricks. As others have mentioned, add lots of fertiliser. I also add worm castes to the potting mix and water regularly with compost tea and comfrey tea. They are left out over winter unprotected, our winters are temperate with only 2 - 3 days of snow to ground level at a time and minimum temperatures 7C.

Here is a link that might be useful: growing garlic

This post was edited by zqnmegan on Mon, Nov 10, 14 at 12:25