Mini Hydroponic Garlic Pods on the Cheap

Garlic growing in a window

We are still on a mandatory “Stay at Home” order from the Governor of Virginia. Executive Order 55 has us sheltering until June 10th. Well, we were pretty well taken care of but certainly concerned about provisions. When you homestead, you are already trying to make great use of resources and reduce waste. We normally grow our sprouted garlic that we cannot eat right away. Really, any veggie, such as potatoes, garlic, or onions can be potted up in dirt and grown. Our big summer harvests get freeze dried or dehydrated.

We had a bunch of these little plastic salad dressing and condiment cups with lids and decided to cut them with a Styrofoam Hot Wire Tool. We made a 3/4 inch hole in the lid.

Trace a circle and cut with Hot Tool

The sprouted clove sits happily out of the water with the roots dangling below; the lid also keeps water from evaporating too quickly. Every week, the water in the cup should be changed. And…if you need garlic for a dish, just use it, green tops, too!

I have several in my east-facing kitchen window. If you look closely, you can see the clove is starting to bulb and divide. Pretty amazing. For everyone out there homeschooling, this would make a neat Science project (growing it), History lesson (where does it come from?), and Home Economics (cook with it).

This is just a tiny piece of our “Victory Garden” effort. Please check out our new YouTube videos. Happy gardening!