Can you plant garlic cloves in potting containers, or do they have to be grown directly in the ground? ?:|

Most garlic growers are planting directly in the ground. It is more to do with freezing temperatures and bulb survival than anything else. I suppose a big container could do the job well, especially if you are in a warm growing area.
I overwintered garlic as a houseplant long ago. So long I don't remember the variety name. It's bulb thinned out and it became almost like chives, grassy-like. I put it in the ground in the spring, and although it survived, it never went back into a bulb form, but went to seed.

I only planted my garlic cloves in containers. I used a window type flower pot. Since garlic grows shallowly it only needs about 5 or 6 inches of soil. My garlic is growing great! :8}