Even if you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, this easy project is the perfect addition you didn’t know you were missing in your garden. It can also create a great alternative for those who lack or don’t have the outdoor space to plant these tasty crops in the ground.
This YouTube video posted by DIY Garden Ideas will show you how to easily grow garlic and onions.
And it all starts with styrofoam containers.
Of course, you’ll start by collecting styrofoam takeout boxes. Then, take a cap to a water bottle or something of the same size and outline 3×3 rows on the top of the container.
Using your freshly marked outlines, take a box cutter and cut out each circle.
You’re going to now open up the container exposing the inside. Take the box cutter and split the container in half. This will create two trays one with holes and one without.
Place the side with circle cuts facing down into the bottom and it’s that easy.
Make all the trays you desire. One styrofoam container will give you one tray, so repeat the process until you have the number of trays you want.
You can use the cut side as a guide for the other trays to save time.
Each circle will house one bulb and the bottom of the container will create the perfect bed of water for your bulbs to propagate
Prepare your bulbs.
Now you’re going to prepare the veggies for planting. You can do this in whatever order you wish but the video starts with onions.
Carefully take each bulb and shave off the tops and bottoms. Repeat this process until you have all the garlic and onions you want to plant.
Place the bulbs into the tray.
Take off the cut side and pour water into the bottom section filling it to the top. Return the cut side as it was before facing down into the water. Take the freshly cut bulbs and place each one in each hole, making sure the tip side is facing up.
Now, wait.
Place your new cute little DIY garden trays where you’d like them to grow. You’ll see very quickly that the bulbs will begin to extend their roots into the water and new growth will appear from the top. The video shows that they’ll grow fairly fast seeing significant changes each day.
After two days, the water will begin to look a yellowish color. You’re going to take the top out and replace the trays with fresh water. In five days the bulbs should be ready for planting.
Transplant the bulbs into a bigger tray.
Staying with a styrofoam theme you can repurpose any size you’d really like as long as it’s in the shape of a garden bed tray.
Similar to the propagation process tray, you’re going to drill holes in the bottom where each bulb will be planted for adequate soil drainage. For this one, it shows three per row. Then fill the tray up with your choice of soil and mist it prior to the transplant.
The video suggests using two trays one for the onions and another for the garlic. Although, it’s fine to plant them together.
To prepare them you’re going to cut part of the tops off and you can split them in half to create more plants. Even though the video doesn’t show this, you should separate and plant each clove from the garlic bulb because it will grow better and create a lot more garlic too.
Place these baby plants into your new DIY tray and water.
Watch your plant children grow. Depending on where you live will determine the best time to plant your new veggies. Usually, you plant this duo in the fall around late June into August. Especially since garlic needs a bit of a cold period to trigger its growth.
Now you have your easy DIY garden bed with delicious crops on its way. If you’re looking for ideas on how to level up your gardening space, you can check out DIY Garden Ideas YouTube page.
Watch the full video below to learn to grow your own food easily!
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