One ingredient to grow your own garlic at home for cheap

Lots of people like to grow their own fruit and vegetables, especially those who enjoy gardening.

There are several benefits to growing your own food as it allows you to improve your diet with fresh and nutritious produce and can help to save money. Garlic is a popular cooking ingredient used to add a savoury flavour to many dishes.

It is botanically a vegetable but is widely used as a herb or spice in cooking. Garlic is a staple in various cuisines and it may also offer a number of health benefits.

Garlic contains allicin, a compound that acts as an antioxidant, and garlic may help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Olivia Lathwell is a mum from Brighton who shares tips on how she saves money.

In a video on TikTok she showed how she grows garlic at home from one clove. She said: "I bet you didn't know you could do this. Grow endless garlic for life."

The mum added: "Did you know how easy it is to grow your own garlic? Well I'm going to show you."

Olivia begins by placing garlic cloves in a bowl with the points facing upwards and then adds a little bit of water. Giving context to a clip of her happily holding a bowl of sprouted garlic she explained: "This is going to be your result in a week.

"I couldn't believe all of the cloves actually sprouted." She advised that when you see roots coming out of the bottom of the garlic cloves and sprouts at the top it's time to plant them.

The mum remarked: "It amazes me that each clove turns into one garlic bulb. If you don't know already, I DIY absolutely everything and save a lot of money by doing so."

She noted it will take nine to 10 months for each clove to turn into a bulb but promised it would be "worth it." Olivia continued: "If you keep up with this cycle you will have free garlic for life.

"I also grow my garlic indoors all year round. That is another tip you can do." Her TikTok video has garnered 142,000 views, more than 5,800 likes and dozens of comments, at the time of writing.

One user said: "Love these, try taking the skins off the garlic cloves then do it, it makes them sprout quicker."

Another claimed: "It doesn't even take a week. It's insanely easy to grow." A third added: "Thank you! Super useful can't wait to try."

Someone else shared: "I did this but I don't plant them. I just harvest the green stalks and use for cooking, they grow back in a couple of days. So far I've made 3 harvests on the same cloves, [I] almost feel bad for them."