If you’ve ever planted garlic before, you probably started it from “seed garlic.” But what you put in the ground wasn’t actual seeds, it was cloves.
The bulbs that are grown for propagation purposes rather than for eating are known as “seed garlic,” but they aren’t truly seeds.
So what’s the deal? Can you grow garlic from an actual seed?
Yes, you can, but it’s one of those projects you can do as a fun experiment but don’t expect to grow a crop of bulbs. It’s notoriously unreliable and challenging to start garlic from seed.
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Most garlic is sterile, so the seeds that do develop generally won’t germinate and produce new plants. But it’s often the case that some of the seeds produced on the plant are fertile, so the chances aren’t zero.
Gardening doesn’t solely have to be about producing a harvest. Sometimes it can be about having some fun and learning something new.
If that sounds like what you’re looking for, then let’s look at how you can start garlic from seed. Here’s what we’ll discuss to help you tackle this gardening adventure:
Yes, you can grow garlic from seed. No, it’s not easy, nor is it the most reliable method of propagation.
To understand how it works, we first need to discuss how garlic reproduces naturally.
How Does Garlic Reproduce?
Many plants reproduce by developing flowers that after pollination, fade and set seed. Those then drop to the ground or are carried off by birds or other animals to a new location.
Have you ever seen the big flower head of an ornamental allium? They eventually turn brown, produce seeds, and those are carried by animals or drop to the ground.
Voila, more ornamental alliums. Not all ornamental alliums produce fertile seed, however, and many of these are sterile too.
Garlic doesn’t roll like that. Of the two types of garlic: hardneck and softneck, only hardneck types produce a stiff scape with flowers.
Softneck types form what is called a false stem or pseudostem. The pseudostem will not form bloom or develop bulbils.
While the plant technically can produce seeds, it usually reproduces via the bulbils that form aboveground or the bulbs underground.
Both of these methods are known as vegetative propagation, and they produce a clone of the parent plant.
Bulbils are clusters of tiny little cloves that develop inside a protective spathe. These heads form on stems called scapes that extend above the leaves.
The bulbils are similar to the cloves growing underground, only they are loose rather than clustered in a group like a bulb and they are tiny. These bulbils eventually fall to the ground and grow into new plants.
Underground, the existing bulbs develop multiple new cloves and each of these can create a new plant.
What about the flowers? Garlic flowers are produced inside the spathe, along with the bulbils If these tiny flowers are fertilized, they might develop seeds that are capable of starting new plants. But that’s assuming the flowers aren’t sterile.
Again, if you want to be certain of growing new plants, start from bulbils or cloves. This is not the best way to grow a bumper crop of tasty bulbs!
You can learn more about propagating garlic in our guide.
Finding the Seeds
Remember, this process isn’t about practicality. We’re experimenting here so it’s important to set your expectations accordingly.
The first step is to resist cutting off the scapes when they form. Typically, we would cut these off because they take energy away from the developing bulbs.
That’s another matter to be aware of, the bulbs forming underground will probably be much smaller than they would otherwise because we’re letting the plant put energy into developing flowers and bulbils.
Once the heads at the top of the scapes are fully formed and have stopped growing in size, you want to cut them open carefully and look for flowers.
Use the tip of a knife to gently open it up, you just want to cut through the outer “skin” as you want to avoid damaging the flowers inside.
You might see both bulbils and flowers forming, or there might not be any distinct flowers, yet. If you don’t see any at first, wait a week or so and try again.
If you find flowers, gently tease them open a bit, but leave them attached to the stems.
Wait for the flowers to open fully if they haven’t already. Once they do, you’ll need to help them out by hand pollination. Insects will probably help, too, so you don’t have to be the sole worker.
To hand pollinate, stick a toothpick inside the flower and collect the pollen. Then, put that toothpick into another flower and gently move it around a bit. This will transfer the pollen from one flower to the next.
Then, let the heads mature on the stem until they turn brown. Once they are brown and dry, you can gently remove the seeds. You might need to use tweezers and a magnifying glass to find and remove them.
Store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to sow. You can sow them anytime from fall to spring, keeping in mind that you’ll need to plant them outside only after all risk of frost has passed.
Sowing
Remember that garlic seed viability is low, low, low. We’re talking about 10 percent of seeds from any given plant likely to be viable. So for every 10 you sow, only one will germinate.
Start a lot so that you improve your chances of growing any plants.
Fill a seed tray with a soilless seed starting mix and moisten the mix.
If you don’t have a favorite mix that you use already, Tank’s Pro-Lite Seeding and Potting Mix is an excellent option, made from organic compost, coconut coir, and perlite.
Tank’s Pro-Lite Seeding and Potting Mix
You can find 16-quart bags available at Arbico Organics.
Poke the seeds in about three times as deep as their width, and space them about three inches apart. Place the container in a sunny window that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight.
At this point, your job is to keep the soil moist and cross your fingers, rub your rabbit’s foot, and knock on wood while you wait for germination.
Note that the seeds don’t require light to germinate, but keeping the tray in a location with bright light will keep it warm and provide the seedlings with the light they need if they pop up.
If nothing has sprouted in three weeks, cut your losses and try again. It’s not you. Don’t feel bad.
If seedlings do pop up, congratulations! Continue to care for them by keeping the soil evenly moist, until they are about three to four inches tall and all risk of frost has passed.
Harden them off for a week before planting them out in the garden.
If you aren’t familiar with the process of hardening off a plant, it’s how we introduce seedlings that have been growing indoors to the more turbulent environment outdoors.
Do this by taking the plants outdoors and setting them in a protected area in the sun for an hour. Then, bring them back inside.
The following day, add another hour outside before bringing it back in. Keep adding an hour each day for a week. Now you’re ready to plant them outdoors and care for them as discussed in our guide to growing garlic.
Keep in mind that the bulbs that develop won’t be exactly like those of the parent plant. It will be a fun surprise to see what grows.
Who knows, it might be something you’ll want to propagate further in the future – if so, be sure to save the bulbils or plant cloves from the bulbs!
Don’t Be Afraid to Try Something New
Who said every garden task we do has to have a purpose? It’s totally fine to have some fun and experiment with new techniques and processes. Just set your expectations accordingly.
You don’t want to aim to produce all the garlic you need for the next year using this propagation method. But as a way to learn more about how these plants grow? It’s perfect.
Are you going to try growing garlic seeds? Let us know how it goes! Share your experience in the comments section below.
And for more information about how to grow garlic in your garden, have a read of these guides next:
