Among owners of small plots planting garlic for consumption, winter garlic has gained great popularity. It has higher yields and such vegetables grow faster. However, large farms hold spring varieties in high esteem.

Winter garlic has arrows where airy bulbous cloves grow. If they are present, the bulb becomes smaller in size, since the arrows take the lion's share of soil substances. Removing arrows in the garden is not difficult. But on the field this will require large human resources. As a result, the cost of goods is rapidly increasing. Spring varieties of garlic do not have shoots.

When and how to plant garlic before winter in autumn 2018

So, if you are a resident of the northern regions of our country, then boarding winter garlic need to start in September. At the same time, it is better if you do this on the waning Moon on the Days of the Root, that is, the Moon must pass through the fertile signs of the Zodiac - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn.

Please note that landing during the full moon and new moon is not recommended.

But most Russian residents still plant garlic before winter in October. Moon calendar recommends the following favorable dates: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 29, 30 October.

You should not work with this crop on the new moon - October 8, 9, 10 (the new moons in September and October coincided) and on the full moon - October 24.

Soil preparation

Garlic is a light-loving crop; the soil favorable for it is light, loose, with a normal pH level.

Heavy, clayey, dense soil must be brought back to normal condition. To do this, during digging, sand and peat are introduced into it (a bucket per square meter).

Humus or pre-dried clay can be added to excessively loose soil. Then it is mixed with sand (a bucket at a time) and poured onto the planting area.

Peat soils are most often acidic, so in order to reduce the acidity of the soil, lime (250 g), river sand, and clay (mix in a bucket) are added per square meter. The components are introduced immediately before digging the bed for garlic.

Planting depth is also important!

For successful wintering, planting depth is also important. It is recommended to lower the cloves to a depth of 10-12 cm (source: book “Onions and garlic in the garden”).

Another source says about planting depth: the cloves are covered with soil to a depth of 5-6 cm (source: book “Vegetable Garden. Practical Advice”).

One of the Internet sources says that in northern regions It is better to plant as deep as possible - 10 cm, and in the south - to close up to 5 cm.

We hope the article really helped you understand the timing of planting garlic in the fall. We will be glad if you share your own experience when planting garlic before winter. Write a comment on the article - your experience is important for everyone.

Planting methods

Spring garlic is propagated by cloves. Planting material is prepared in advance. For planting, the largest outer segments that are not damaged are selected. The current GOST also characterizes the state of the scales (dry) and the bottom (hard).

To shorten the growing season, heads stored at room temperature, in the spring they are kept in the refrigerator for at least a month. Germination of the segments gives a positive result. To do this, place them in water for a couple of hours (you can use a weak solution of potassium permanganate or ash), and then put them in plastic bag and put it in a dark place for several days.

The sprouted cloves are planted in the beds so that there is enough space for the development of the head: the distance in the row is up to 8 cm, between the rows is 25-30 cm. The depth of planting is also important. It is better not to plant deeply (the top of the clove should be 2 cm below the soil level), otherwise the development of the plant will slow down.

How to care

During the initial period of growth, the crop needs constant soil moisture, especially when leaves grow and bulbs form. A lack of moisture is indicated by yellowing leaves or their drying tips. After watering, the soil will definitely need to be loosened to ensure oxygen access to the roots of the plant.

As the underground part grows, you need to reduce watering, and in August, abandon it completely in order to create conditions for the ripening of the bulb.

For this culture correct timing landings are very important. If garlic is planted too early in the fall before winter, it will germinate, but if it is done too late, it will not have time to take root before frost. Untimely planting can lead not only to significant crop loss. You may not get it at all.

The best varieties of winter garlic

Varieties of winter garlic differ in many parameters: the size of the heads, ripening time, pungency, and storage ability. But they are all divided into 2 main groups: shooters and non-shooters. The first ones form an arrow on which airy bulbs grow - babies. If you sow them, you can get one-toothed trees - an excellent material for autumn planting. The second group of varieties does not have such an arrow.

Shooting varieties

Alekseevsky.

A variety that produces a very large head - its weight is about 180 g, some record holders grow up to 240 g. There are 5 cloves in the head. The plant is powerful, together with the arrow, it can reach a height of 1.5 m. It is well stored and has a rich, pungent taste. The color of the covering scales is gray. The variety is resistant to fusarium.

Gulliver.

The head is large, the average weight is 120 g, the record is 250. There are up to 12 teeth in the head. The covering scales are grey, the taste is pungent. This variety of garlic is also suitable for spring planting. Medium late variety.

Belorussian.

The weight of the heads is up to 80 g. The number of teeth in it is up to 8. The scales are white with purple tint. The taste is spicy. Early ripening variety.

Lyubasha.

The head is large, weighing up to 120 g, covered with light scales with purple veins. The taste is sharp, the number of cloves is up to 7. The ripening period is average.

Nazus.

A variety for regions with frosty winters. The head weighs on average 65 g, has up to 6 cloves, scales are reddish-white, the taste is slightly pungent. Mid-season variety.

Non-shooting varieties

Novosibirsk.

The average weight of the head is 22 g, it is made of 6 teeth. Covering scales are pale pink, the taste is semi-sharp. The variety is mid-season.

Podmoskovny.

A variety with a pungent taste. The head weighs up to 60 g, consists of 7 cloves. Covering scales are gray with purple stripes. The ripening period is mid-season.

Why plant garlic before winter?

Potatoes and all types of onions are bad predecessors for garlic, since they have the same diseases, the pathogens of which can accumulate in the soil. Root vegetables and various nightshade crops are not suitable as predecessors.

Garlic works best after cucumbers and other pumpkin varieties, cabbage (especially early white cabbage), legumes, and various grains.

Landing dates

They depend on the growing region. The following rule will help you figure out when to plant garlic before winter: it takes garlic from three weeks to a month to take root. It falls during the frost-free period, and, therefore, garlic needs to be planted 20-30 days before the onset of frost.

Early autumn frosts do not count. If the cloves are planted earlier, they will not only take root, but will also sprout sprouts that will die in the winter. The tooth will have little strength left for a new sprout, and perhaps none at all. Therefore on bountiful harvest you won't have to count anymore. When too late boarding good roots will not have time to grow, in the spring the clove will have to spend time growing them, shoots may be late.

Preparation of planting material

Only large cloves from healthy bulbs are suitable for planting.

Preparing teeth:

• we disassemble the onion into cloves, not forgetting to remove parts of the bottom; in non-shooting varieties, only the outer row is selected for planting; double cloves should not be planted;
• we reject all damaged and diseased ones;
• We disinfect planting material in the “Maxim” preparation according to the instructions or in a solution copper sulfate, prepared from 10 liters of water and a teaspoon of the drug.

Teeth should be planted immediately after disinfection.

Soil requirements

The soil in the garlic bed must meet the following requirements:

• be fertile, with a high humus content - you won’t get large heads on thin soils;
• be quite light in composition, ideally it is black soil or sandy loam well seasoned with humus; good harvest It also works on loams, but they will have to be loosened often;
• good air flow;
• have a neutral reaction; if the soil is acidic, it is limed in advance;
• there should be no stagnation of water in the garden bed; garlic cannot tolerate it, so this crop should not be planted in lowlands; The only option on overly moist soils is raised beds.

When choosing a place to plant, you need to pay attention to its illumination. It should be maximum; in the shade, garlic will delight you with green feathers, but not full heads.

Fertilizer when preparing beds

The garlic bed must be prepared at least 2 weeks in advance to allow the soil to settle and compact. In too loose soil, the cloves are strongly retracted into the depths, seedlings will appear later and will be uneven.

How do you fertilize garlic beds? For every sq. m contribute:

• up to 10 kg of humus or well-rotted compost;
• cup wood ash;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of superphosphate;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of potassium sulfate.

Nitrogen fertilizers are applied during the first spring loosening. In the fall, the soil is dug up to a depth of 25 cm. You can simply loosen it well with a pitchfork, picking out the roots of the weeds.

You cannot add fresh manure under the garlic - the heads will turn out loose and will not be stored well.

Planting scheme for winter garlic

It is better to place rows from rows in the garden bed at a distance of 25 cm. In a row, cloves are planted every 10 cm, large ones less often, small ones more often. The easiest way is to take a thick stick and make indentations with it at the required distance at the same level.

At what depth is garlic planted? It depends on how cold the winters are and how much snow there is. Garlic planted at a depth of about 5 cm sprouts faster, but in a winter with little snow and frost it can freeze. In harsh climates, it is better to choose a planting depth of about 15 cm. The cloves are placed in the holes with the bottom down, without pressing them, otherwise it will be difficult for them to sprout roots. The holes are filled with humus.

Experienced gardeners know that dry wintering is preferable for garlic. In our unstable climate, we are not protected from rain even in January. To protect the plantings from excess moisture and at the same time from severe freezing, you can mulch the soil with a layer of humus or leaves, and cover the bed with either roofing felt or film. But this is only if in the spring it is possible to remove the shelter before germination. Otherwise, you will have to limit yourself to the usual mulching layer of 5 cm. In the spring, the mulching material is removed.

Features of care

Growing garlic in open ground- the task is not difficult, but it requires consistency in the application of all agricultural techniques. In spring, garlic sprouts very quickly. As soon as the first leaves appear, the soil is loosened to destroy the soil crust. At this time, plants especially need nitrogen. Roots in cold soil still function poorly, and the leaf apparatus grows quickly. This imbalance often causes leaf tips to dry out. To avoid this, feed garlic any nitrogen fertilizer, but always in liquid form: tbsp. spoon of urea per 10 liters of water, for each square. m pour out 1/3 of the bucket. It is good to add humate to the solution; it promotes the fastest growth of roots.

In the future, another 2-3 feedings will be required at intervals of 2 weeks:

• in the phase of 3-4 leaves - complete mineral fertilizer with the addition of urea - according to Art. spoon per 10 liters of water, consumption per 3 sq. m;
• complete mineral fertilizer - Art. spoon per 10 liters of water, consumption per 2 square meters. m;
• superphosphate – 1 tbsp. spoon, potassium sulfate - 1 tbsp. spoon per 10 liters of water, consumption per 2 sq.m.

Fertilizing is carried out after watering. Garlic loves moisture, so water it regularly, but only in the first half of the growing season.

20 days before harvesting, stop watering garlic.

What else needs to be done to get a good harvest?

• Remove arrows on arrowing varieties in a timely manner - they should not grow more than 5 cm.
• Keep the soil loose and weed-free.
• Remove heads in time

With the onset of autumn, gardeners have only one sowing task left - planting garlic. This culture occupies a place of honor in food culture. The burning bulb is used:

• in conservation. Everyone is used to seeing cloves inside jars of tomatoes and cucumbers; many happily catch and eat them. The marinade completely changes the taste, crunches and does not burn, leaving an unusually pleasant aftertaste;
• It is impossible to imagine sausage without it; the recipe for smoked and semi-smoked products necessarily implies the use of garlic flavor. It is achieved using a powder or natural product;
• for prevention of diseases during influenza infections and related epidemics. The population notes that the real benefit of such a measure allows you not to get sick in wet weather, and it is easier to endure bad weather;
• as a seasoning for various dishes. The addition of a pungent taste and a special specific smell increases appetite;
• When fresh, lovers get unexpected pleasure from the taste of hot garlic.

The main distinguishing features are:

• In the summer, the winter variety forms arrows in which the bulbs ripen. From bulbs you can grow new plants and update the variety;
• winter crops are hotter, spring crops are much milder in taste;
• storage. Some write that summer-planted garlic is stored better; opponents argue that winter-sown crops can be stored until April and even May. It is clear that spring varieties survive better until spring, which is why many not only eat it, but also plant it in the spring;
• If you cut the head across, then on the cut of winter garlic you will see: the stem and several cloves (4...12) located around. When cut, there is no spring stem, and the denticles form several uneven circles.

Attention! Just a few years ago, vegetable growers believed that spring varieties should not be planted before winter. But the climate is changing noticeably, frosts are becoming noticeably weaker, and snow cover is becoming higher. Therefore, attempts to plant summer-planted garlic in the fall turn out to be very successful.

Preparing beds for planting

To get next year good harvest, need to take care before landing. The work begins in the garden.

Predecessors that do not leave pests will be tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers. It is not advisable to plant after cruciferous vegetables: cabbage, radishes, radishes. Planting after onions, parsley or coriander can significantly reduce the yield.

Deep digging or loosening to a depth of 20...25 cm is required. A legitimate question arises: “Why dig so deep?

The head is located almost on the surface.” Thin threads of roots receive nutrition from the depths. Deeper in the soil, moisture is retained longer, and the plant receives nutrition from different levels. Therefore, having loose soil will help larger bulbs grow.

Humus will allow roots to develop. However, you should pay close attention to it. It may contain nematodes that will reduce the yield to zero.

You can fertilize with tree foliage. Leaves of apple, poplar, birch, chestnut, ash, oak, and maple can be buried in the lower horizon. To do this, a trench is dug to a depth of 30...35 cm, and future humus is placed in it. It is even lightly compacted and spilled with water. Soil is poured on top.

By spring, earthworms will process the leaves, turning them into safe humus. There are pests on it, but they are not dangerous to garlic.

Calcium is added before winter. You can use dolomite flour or building gypsum. A slightly acidic soil reaction is favorable for garlic.

Nitrogen and potash fertilizers will be needed in the spring. In autumn we need phosphorus. They do not readily dissolve in water. Therefore, up to 30...35 g of superphosphate are scattered for each square meter of beds and dug up.

Preparation of seed material

Vegetable growers have been planting the same varieties for several years. They are gradually degenerating. Regular (every three years) update is desirable. seed material). At VIR stations you can find suitable varieties that you can start growing.

Selecting varieties for planting

Interesting varieties are presented in the table. They can be purchased online and also at experimental stations VIRA

	Basic indicators
	Average weight of heads, g	Productivity, kg/m2	Peculiarities
Gulliver	90…130	0,92…1,15	Can be stored for up to 8...9 months
Victorio	65…95	0,88…0,99	High immunity to fungal diseases
Aleysky (spring)	45…70	0,75…1,12	Late ripening, keeps well
Abrek (spring)	25…50	0,65…0,82	Almost 100% survive, yield leveled out
Elenovsky (spring)	15…45	0,55…0,71	Not damaged by nematodes, can be stored for up to 11 months. Not sharp
Ershovsky (spring)	25…55	0,60…0,85	Up to eight months storage
Degtyarsky (spring)	20…60	0,55…0,75	Grows well when sown before winter
Flavor (spring)	45…55	0,68…0,82	French selection. Tolerates high humidity
Sochinsky-56	35…55	0,54…0,78	Tolerates long-term cooling, germinates 85..90%

Growing from bulbs

In addition to planting cloves, it is possible to grow garlic from bulbs. They ripen at the end of July. It is necessary to create conditions for full maturation.

1. The arrows are cut off in mid-July, leaving at least 20 cm of green stem.
2. Place in the shade.
3. Expect the stem to dry completely and the arrow to open (usually August 15...20).
4. Choose full-bodied bulblets.

Some people ask, “Why leave part of the green stem?” The arrows ripen, and the seeds receive nutrition from the green part. In 20...30 days they take everything nutrients and acquire high germination rates. In nature, garlic survives in a similar way.

When planted in the first year, single cloves grow - garlic with one clove. Usually cylindrical in shape. After a year, normal heads are formed, corresponding in size to standard indicators.

Attention! Garlic grown from single cloves resists for several years viral diseases, releases substances that drive away nematodes.

Preparing cloves and bulbs for planting

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

• heads with aligned cloves are selected, then you can expect to obtain stable bulbs of approximately the same size;
• substandard and patients are rejected with whole heads
• the onion is disassembled into individual cloves, part of the bottom is removed;
• in varieties of winter garlic, the cloves of the outer row, the largest in size, are used;
• double teeth are not used;
• disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate, copper sulfate for 20 minutes
• soak in aloe juice for 20 minutes to stimulate growth.

Solutions for disinfection and stimulation

A solution of potassium permanganate is prepared by dissolving a few crumbs in a liter of water. You need a pale pink composition. It is poured into a bowl or three-liter bucket. This is where the soaking takes place.

Copper sulfate (1 g) and water (1 l) are mixed. Pour into a convenient container into which one-claws, bulbs or cloves are placed.

Aloe is placed in freezer at a temperature of -18 °C. After cold processing, the juice is released much better. Squeeze out the juice and dissolve in water (20 g of aloe juice + 1 liter of water). Aloe is a natural growth stimulator.

Timing for planting in open ground

For Central Russia optimal timing for disembarkation begin from October 15 to October 30. During this period, even the first snow is possible, but it does not lie, it will melt. There are often frosts on the ground.

IN southern regions planted 2...4 weeks later. Sometimes they focus on weather conditions and plant even in mid-December.

How to plant garlic before winter

The bed is divided into transverse rows. The distance between them is 20 cm. Inside the row, a distance of about 7 cm is maintained between future plants.

Mark with pegs. It is even more convenient to make a special device from the handle of a shovel - a planting peg. A handle remains on the handle; a transverse strip is nailed to it, so that the pointed end is 15 cm long.

1. Future holes are planned.
2. The crossbars protrude to the desired width and will help you easily maintain the distance between the holes.
3. They are buried 15 cm deep.
4. Spill with a solution of potassium permanganate.
5. Then they lower it into the hole planting material: teeth and single teeth. In reality they don't reach the bottom. The resulting planting depth is 8...9 cm.
6. The top should be sprinkled with turf or purchased peat. The result will be soft soil for upward germination.

Video about planting garlic before winter:

Many gardeners perform combined plantings. The best symbiosis is observed between garden strawberries and garlic.

A row is drawn inside the strawberry bed. Single-toothed or cloves are planted in it every 10 cm. Two more rows are made along the edges of the strawberry bed. Planting is also done here using a planting peg.

Planting bulbs

Planting material is prepared in an amount of approximately 30...35% of what is sown in the usual way. In a year it will be possible to update to this volume. By doing this, they prepare a replacement for all the garlic. They save the variety and update it at the same time.

Bulbs are planted at a distance of 6 cm between rows. In a row, 2...3 cm are maintained between future shoots. The planting depth of garlic seeds is only 2…3 cm. It is most convenient to plant them between strawberry rows. Later, in the summer, the smell of garlic will repel pests of garden strawberries.

Covering plantings

In recent years, snow has often fallen on frozen ground. Therefore, to partially protect against freezing, covering material is used. For the winter they are covered with leaves that are collected in the garden. Some gardeners use non-woven fabric; it is secured to the ground with wire staples so that the wind does not blow it away from the garden bed.

Garlic is often planted in the fall before winter. They do this in order to obtain early harvests of vitamin products. The method of planting and growing is simple and has long been tested. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with it.

Why should you plant garlic in the fall?

It is known that there are two types of garlic - spring and winter. It is clear that winter crops are planted before winter, that is, in the fall. More than seventy varieties of winter garlic are registered in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. This species is more popular than the spring variety due to its advantages:

• Large sizes of cloves and bulbs.
• Bright spicy taste.
• High yield.
• Early fruit harvesting - in most regions this occurs no later than mid-July.

The disadvantages of winter varieties of garlic include short shelf life (3-4 months) and the risk of plantings freezing under unfavorable weather conditions. It should be noted that this crop has good winter hardiness. Garlic is planted before winter in almost all regions of Russia, including the Urals, Siberia, Far East, in Karelia.

Instructions for planting garlic in the fall

There is nothing complicated about this process. Even a novice gardener can plant and grow winter garlic.

Preparation of planting material

During the summer harvest, garlic is sorted and the most suitable ones are selected for planting. large heads with three to five teeth. The larger the planted tooth, the larger the head will grow from it. And of course, the selected bulbs should not have visible damage or signs of disease. Until planting, they are stored in a dry, dark place.

The largest heads of garlic with three to five cloves are selected for planting.

You need to plant garlic about a month and a half before the onset of cold weather. During this time, it will have time to take root and go into the winter stronger. It is undesirable for it to begin to sprout, but if this happens, it’s not scary. Well-covered garlic will safely overwinter and begin to grow in early spring. Frost-resistant varieties withstands winters with temperatures down to -25 °C. But if the garlic does not have time to take root, it will most likely freeze in temperatures of -10 °C. It is clear that the calendar dates for sowing in different regions differ according to climatic conditions. For example, in middle lane Autumn planting of garlic usually begins in mid-October, and in the south - at the end of October and even in the first half of November.

Preparing the bed

The soil for planting should be prepared two to three weeks in advance. In this case, you need to choose a place where suitable predecessors were grown, for example:

• Any grains, with the exception of oats and barley.
• Zucchini and squash.
• Pumpkin.
• Cabbage.
• Legumes.
• Berry crops (strawberries, strawberries).
• Tomatoes.

You should not plant garlic after crops such as:

• Beet.
• Carrot.
• Potato.

The bed should be located in a well-lit area without flooding. Light, loose soils are best suited - sandy loam, loam with a neutral reaction (pH 6.5-7.0). It is convenient to grow garlic in beds one meter wide. Before digging, 8-10 kg/m2 of humus or compost, 30-40 g/m2 of superphosphate and 1-2 l/m2 of wood ash are evenly scattered over the soil surface. The digging depth is the bayonet of a shovel.

The bed for winter garlic should be located in a well-lit area without flooding.

Planting process

Step-by-step instructions for planting winter garlic in the fall look like this:

Care after landing

Planting winter garlic does not require fertilizing or other care until spring. The only thing necessary event- covering the beds for the winter. To do this, with the onset of cold weather, spruce branches, straw, fallen leaves, etc. are placed on them, and after snow falls, it is advisable to throw it on top of the shelter with a thickness of 20-30 cm. In the spring, as soon as the threat of frost has passed, the shelter will need to be removed to avoid overheating plants.

For the winter, the bed is covered with improvised materials.

On my plot (eastern Ukraine) I constantly grow winter garlic. The variety is unknown to me. In our area, winter garlic is usually dug up before July 12 (the religious holiday of Peter and Paul), and that’s what I do. During the harvest I select best bulbs for planting and plant them in mid-October (the religious holiday of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary). If the autumn is warm, I sometimes plant at the end of October. In December, I cover the bed with dry hay and cover it with branches remaining after pruning. fruit trees. I usually remove the cover at the end of March. In the spring, in April - May, I carry out two fertilizings with liquid organic fertilizers (infusion of weeds or chicken droppings). I water and remove weeds regularly. Around mid-June I stop watering. This simple technology brings me 10-15 kilograms from a five-meter bed (one meter wide) excellent garlic. Enough for canning, cooking, and gifts for relatives and friends.

Video: planting winter garlic in the fall

Garlic is a spicy and aromatic vegetable that is used fresh and for preservation. This crop can be grown both in winter and in spring. Find out how to plant garlic in the fall before winter, what variety to choose for this, how to prepare the soil and much more.

The amount of harvest that can be harvested for the next season depends on the timing chosen for the autumn planting of garlic. This is a cold-resistant crop, but, nevertheless, it needs to be planted 3-4 weeks before the onset of cold weather in your region. The timing of planting garlic in the fall should be calculated so that the cloves can grow roots and take root, but do not have time to germinate. In this form, garlic will survive the cold winter well, and in the spring it will begin to grow.

In the middle zone, this time begins from the 20th of September and lasts until mid-October. It is better to choose days when no particular warmth is expected, but the first autumn night frosts are expected. Each year these days may not occur at the same time, so garden work for planting winter garlic must be adjusted.

In the Moscow region, the crop needs to be planted at approximately the same time as in the middle zone; in the Urals, garlic needs to be planted earlier; in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, cloves can be placed in the beds even in November.

In general, planting garlic before winter should be associated with weather conditions - if a warm autumn is expected, then this can be done later than the standard deadlines, if it is cold, then vice versa. You need to be especially careful when planting this vegetable before winter in Siberia - it is better to do it earlier, before frost sets in, than to risk the planting material and then worry that it will freeze. You need to plant garlic in this region starting from the second half of September and ending with the first week of October, and then cover the plantings with covering material.

What crops can be planted after: choosing a location

One of the most important and responsible stages in the agricultural technology of this crop is planting garlic in the fall. It is important to choose the best for him appropriate place. This culture loves light, fertile (preferably sandy loam), air- and moisture-permeable soil. Its reaction should be neutral; garlic does not like acidic soil.

The place for the beds should be level and well lit by the sun. However, it should not be located in a lowland with groundwater close to the plants and in a place where water stagnates - in wet soil during the winter, plant roots can rot, and in growing season Excess moisture will provoke the growth of green mass, not bulbs. You should not choose a place for garlic plantings located near outbuildings with pets or poultry, so that they cannot damage them.

The best site for winter garlic in home garden beds is located near the fence on the south side. The fence will protect the plantings from the cold wind, and in winters with little snow, it will keep the snow on the ground. If the site is located in an open area, then in case of a winter with little snow, you need to stock up on good covering material:

• dry leaf;
• peat;
• spruce branches;
• sawdust.

It is necessary to cover the beds only just before frost, and not soon after planting the cloves, so that they do not germinate under “ warm blanket" The larger the layer of covering material, the colder it is in your region.

The best predecessors for garlic are all pumpkin, nightshade, and legumes with a short growing season. They must be removed from the growing area intended for garlic at least a month before planting, so that after collecting them the soil can recover. For the same reason, you can plant garlic after potatoes only if it belongs to early or mid-early varieties.

But it is better not to plant garlic after carrots and other autumn root vegetables - since they are harvested late, the soil will not have time to renew its resources by the time of planting. A crop can only be planted in the same place after 3 years, just as it can be placed where its relative, the onion, grew.

Preparing the bed

Preparing a bed for winter garlic should be given no less attention than choosing the place where the crop will grow. After all, the quality of the resulting harvest depends on the structure and composition of the soil. Preparation of the bed for planting garlic before winter begins 3-4 weeks before the expected planting date. First, all plant residues are removed from them, then the soil is dug up, leveled and fertilizers are applied:

1. Over an area of ​​1 m2 of loam, distribute 1 tbsp. l. nitrophoska, superphosphate, 1 glass each dolomite flour. Or add organic matter - 1 bucket of humus or compost, 2 tbsp. ash.
2. The same is applied to the sandy ones, but 1 more bucket of peat is added.
3. Clays are also enriched with peat, adding 1 bucket of this fertilizer to each m2.

According to the planting rules, fresh manure is not used - it leads to the fact that the garlic begins to hurt and is more susceptible to pests. In the finished bed, the soil is cultivated before planting. disinfectant solution copper sulfate. To do this, dissolve 50 g of this substance in a bucket of water. The resulting solution is poured over the entire soil, and then covered with film.

Choosing a variety and preparing garlic for planting

For planting before winter, only winter varieties of garlic are suitable. It is quite easy to distinguish it from spring garlic - it has large, uniform cloves located around the arrow in 1 row. This garlic is a shooter, it shoots out a shoot on which small bulbs ripen (they can also be planted in the beds in the fall).

You need to choose a variety of garlic that suits your climatic conditions. For example, Ukrainian varieties have good winter hardiness:

1. Ukrainian white - produces heads weighing 50-140 g, with the number of cloves in them - from 4 to 12 pieces. The shooter does not give, but is well stored.
2. Spas - heads 60-100 g, 7-9 cloves each. The variety is high-yielding, immune to fusarium and nematodes, and is excellently stored.
3. Lyubasha - the variety tolerates cold and summer heat well. The average weight of the head is 70-100 g, the number of teeth is 7 pcs. The harvest is stored for up to 10 months without losing during storage appearance and quality.
4. Violet Kharkov - heads weighing 30-60 g, with no more than 6 cloves.

The varieties of Russian, Soviet and Dutch selection are also quite good: Yubileiny 07 and Yubileiny Gribovsky, Nadezhny, Skif, Garpek, Komsomolets, Messidor. They are distinguished by their sharp and semi-sharp taste, resistance to major garlic diseases, excellent yield, and excellent keeping quality.

They prepare garlic for planting before winter by sorting it out and discarding cloves that are diseased, of poor quality, too small, or with superficial injuries. For disinfection, healthy teeth are soaked for 2 hours in solutions:

• ash (0.4 kg of ash per 2 l hot water, stand for 30 minutes);
• potassium permanganate (dark pink);
• saline (3 tablespoons per 5 liters of warm water);
• copper sulfate (1 tsp per bucket of water);
• drug "Fitosporin-M".

After drying, they are ready for planting.

Technology for planting garlic before winter

In the cultivated and prepared beds, long grooves with a depth of 15-20 cm are made - this is exactly the depth at which garlic must be planted for the winter. The distance between the garlic rows is left at 25-30 cm. A small layer of sand is poured onto the bottom of the grooves - this will reduce the risk of roots rotting in the soil in winter.

At what distance the cloves should be planted depends on their size. Between large ones you need to maintain a distance of 8-10 cm, between those that are smaller - 5-7 cm is enough. If planting garlic before winter is done in bulbs, use a different scheme: leave 2 cm in the rows between them, 10 cm in the rows. Bury small garlic 3 cm into the ground. In the summer, they will grow into round, single-pronged onions that can be used to plant winter garlic in the fall.

Planting material is always placed vertically, bottoms down, and not simply placed in the ground. After embedding cloves or bulbs into the ground, they are covered with earth and sprinkled with a small layer of peat or sawdust (no thicker than 2 cm). There is no need to water newly planted garlic.

Care after landing

In the spring, as soon as it gets warm, cover material or mulch is removed from the beds so that the seedlings can quickly make their way to the top. Water the garlic for the first time as soon as the soil dries out and while it is growing green mass, do not spare water. When the heads begin to ripen, watering is reduced, and if the weather is rainy, they are stopped completely. After each watering, the soil is loosened, weeding at the same time. This must be done carefully so as not to harm the developing heads and roots. To reduce the number of waterings and weedings, you can mulch the grown garlic with hay, straw, and sawdust from deciduous trees.

You need to feed the plants first with fertilizers containing N, and then P and K. You can use both ready-made mineral mixtures and organic matter, to which garlic responds very well. From mineral fertilizers use saltpeter (20 g per bucket of water), from organic fertilizers– infusion of fresh manure (1 to 10). Start fertilizing as soon as the green sprouts have reached a height of approximately 10 cm. After a month, carry out another fertilizing - this time water the plants with an ash solution (200 g of ash per bucket of water).

When the plants throw out arrows, break them off without waiting for them to become coarse. This allows you to get larger heads and speed up their maturation. Leave the arrows only if you need to get bulbs to refresh the variety.

Garlic is harvested in July. It is collected in dry and sunny weather, after its tops turn yellow and fall off. The heads of mature garlic should be fully formed, with dry scales tightly adjacent to them. Do not overexpose the garlic in the beds - overripe heads will fall apart into cloves.

To make the heads easier to remove from the ground, they are carefully dug up with a shovel or pitchfork, and then taken by the stem and removed from the ground. Then the harvest is laid out on the beds for 4-5 days to dry, if the weather is sunny, and if it is going to rain, then they are laid out to dry under a canopy. Then the stem of dry garlic is shortened to 5 cm and the roots are cut off. Store it in a dry and cool place. Only completely ripe, dry, whole heads, without damage or disease, are left for storage. All other garlic is used for food.