Garlic Allium sativum is a famous vegetable belonging to the group of onion vegetables. It probably comes from the mountainous areas of Central Asia. It has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. Garlic has been known in Poland for several centuries. It is a perennial that is grown as an annual plant. In our climatic conditions it can bloom, but it does not produce seeds, therefore it is only propagated vegetatively with cloves.
Cultivars that do not produce inflorescence shoots, most often grown as spring,form irregular heads with cloves of various sizes. However, within both types there are both spring and winter varieties.Winter varieties with regular heads with large bulbs are intended for autumn planting, for summer, autumn and early winter harvesting. They can also be planted in early spring. They are very fertile, but not suitable for too long storage.
Good rooting of the cloves occurs in a short day and relatively low temperature. Garlic requires a temperature of 0-10 ° C for 1-2 months to form a bulb, either during storage or after planting in the field. The soil and water requirements of this vegetable are quite high. It grows best in second and third class, airy, loamy-sandy soils with a significant amount of organic matter. Heavy, catchment and clay soils are not very suitable for its cultivation. Garlic reacts badly to drought - then it needs to be watered. Rotation is necessary for this species. It should not be planted in a position where potatoes, beets, root vegetables or other onion vegetables were grown. Instead, he uses positions after cucumbers, tomatoes, beans and leaf vegetables.
It responds well to organic fertilization, while mineral fertilization, applied additionally, should provide 85 g N, 85 g P2O5, 130 g K2O per 10 m² of cultivation. It is best if the soil is well-cultivated, well-structured, free from crusts and without lumps. Autumn planting is carried out from mid-October to mid-November, and spring planting as soon as it is possible to go to the field.
Garlic has been valued as a spice and medicinal plant for millennia. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of this vegetable are well known, and we often eat it during the autumn and spring solstices. The most important properties of garlic include: antioxidant activity, regulation of insulin activity, reduction of adipose tissue, inhibition of atherosclerotic changes, stimulation of digestive processes and immunostimulating effect, strengthening the body.
Garlic also has a positive effect on the respiratory system and prevents excessive enlargement of the prostate gland in men.Unfortunately, most of us exclude this number of advantages due to the only disadvantage - an unpleasant pungent smell that activates and remains even many hours after consumption. However, there is also a advice: eat garlic with parsley or chew it after eating garlic, wash it down with milk or yogurt, or chew the clove, which also masks other unpleasant odors from the mouth. Instead of green parsley, we can also eat mint, thyme or celery leaves.
In order to enjoy he alth for a long time, we should prophylactically eat one clove of garlic a day, while in fighting diseases, the dose should be increased to 3-4 cloves a day.
