Garlic is an extremely useful vegetable, known not only for its taste qualities, but also for a variety of healing properties. Ogorodniki-amateurs, especially beginners, often wonder how correctly and when to plant garlic? It is well known that this is not a whimsical crop, but there are some nuances in planting that must be observed in order to get a good harvest.
Garlic winter and spring
Planting time depends on the type of garlic - winter and spring. To distinguish them is very simple - on the head. Winter is distinguished by a small number of large teeth and a dense head. The flower arrows that he throws out are thick and strong. Spring garlic consists of sets of small teeth of different shapes, and they do not release arrows. According to the rules, winter garlic is planted "under winter", that is, in autumn, and spring garlic is planted.
But some consciously plant all garlic in autumn in order not to store the planting material at home, where it can deteriorate and dry. There is a rational grain in this - seeds that need to spend some time in the cold and at rest, winter in optimal conditions for themselves. But on the other hand, if the winter is too cold, there is a risk of remaining in the spring and completely without garlic. Therefore, the best solution is to provide two beds for garlic - one for winter, which should be planted in the fall, and another - under the spring, which should be held at home until the optimal time for disembarkation.
How to plant garlic for the winter?
The best month for the autumn planting of garlic is September. This is due to the fact that before the onset of constant colds, garlic should take root, let the roots deep down about 10-15 cm, but do not have time to tie the leaves. If you land him later, then the probability is that he will not have time to consolidate himself in the land and simply will not overwinter.
You should start with the preparation of the soil, you need to do it 2-4 weeks before the expected time of planting garlic. First you need to decide on the landing site. The bed should be in a dry, well-lit place. Remember that garlic loves clayey, fertile, acid neutral soils, so it's better if the "precursors" of garlic are pumpkin, cabbage, beans. On the place where the garlic or onions were already grown, you can only plant it in 3-4 years.
Then we introduce fertilizers : for each square meter of the area, a bucket of compost or humus is added, a glass of dolomite flour and a tablespoon of nitrophosphate. After this, you need to dig the ground to a depth of 20 cm, form beds and process them with a solution of copper sulfate. The solution is prepared from the calculation of 40 g per 10 liters of water. We process 1 m² in one liter. The beds are ready. Before landing garlic is better to cover them with a film.
We now turn to the preparation of planting material. To do this, choose the largest and dense heads, without signs of mold and putrefaction. It is better to divide them into gears directly during the landing of garlic for the winter, so that the bottom, where the roots are located, does not have time to dry.
Planting garlic in spring
Many are wondering whether it is possible to plant winter garlic in the spring? Experts argue that there is no point in this, it will not have time to germinate and rot, so for spring planting it is better to choose spring varieties.
Spring garlic is tolerated to low temperatures, but it is demanding for the quality and moisture of the soil. For a normal start of growth in spring, garlic is fairly stable temperature + 5-10⁰С, but it is still better to plant in the period from April 25 to May 10. After the first shoots are sprouted, garlic is fed with nitrogen fertilizer, after 10 days, the dressing is repeated.