Winter garlicplant in the fall. Identical to the one planted in spring, it has many medicinal properties and is a common spice in the household. Seehow to distinguish winter garlic from spring garlicand which position underwinter garlicwill be best. In a moment you will learnhow to plant winter garlic , which is the most important thing in growing it andwhen to dig out winter garlicto make it fully ripe, tasty and he althy. Here's the secret to big-headed garlic!
Winter garlic
Winter or spring garlic?
Garlic can be planted in spring or fall. In the fall, garlic is planted to form inflorescence shoots. And this is what we refer to aswinter garlicor winter garlic (it hibernates in the fields). On the other hand, garlic without inflorescence shoots is planted in the spring. It is referred to as spring garlic or spring garlic.
Winter garlic has larger heads and will mature earlierthan the one planted in spring. It reaches a height of 100-120 cm and forms onions weighing 70 g with 6-9 large cloves. Small air bulbs grow in the inflorescence of winter garlic, which can also be used as planting material.
The most famousvarieties of winter garlicare: Arkus, Harnaś, Janowicki, Mega, Orlik, Orkan , Fields.
Winter garlic - cultivation
Winter garlic is a vegetablewith high water requirements, and needs the most water during head formation. Winter garlic is best grown in fertile, humus-rich, airy soils with regulated water conditions.This plant grows poorly in confluent and crusted soils.
Winter garlic withstands low temperaturesand winters well in the ground without any cover. In spring, it starts growing at a temperature of 3-5 ° C.
Winter garlic is grown in the second year after manure, which should be fed to the soil at the rate of 3 kg / m². You can also use compost at a dose of 4 kg / m². Goodpre-crops for winter garlicare: cabbage, cucumbers, cauliflower, celery. Garlic should not be grown one after the other or any other onion vegetables.
In the cultivation of winter garlicit is important to properly fertilize the plant. Unlike garlic planted in spring, garlic planted in autumn is fertilized with nitrogen once, after the plants have emerged. The total dose of mineral fertilization should be 35-40g of properly balanced NPK fertilizer / m² (e.g. Azofoska can be used).
Winter garlic - how to plant
When planting winter garlic , choose large or medium-sized cloves, which will guarantee a better yield. Garlic with flat pinkish purple heads and a pungent flavor is suitable for autumn planting.
Planting date for winter garlicis roughly the second half of October, but you have to choose it so that the plants have time to root before the frosts but do not develop too much before winter, because then they will freeze.
Plant the cloves of winter garlicin deeply dug soil in rows 20-30 cm apart, the row spacing should be 6-10 cm, depending on the size of the cloves.
Good to know!More beautiful plants grow from the larger cloves, so it is better to choose the largest and most handsome garlic heads for planting.
For a successful cultivation and a good wintering, it is very importantdepth of winter garlic plantingdig the cloves into the ground vertically, with the heel down, 5-8 cm deep (i.e. deeper than when planting garlic in the spring). In a 10 m2 plot, 0.3 to 1 kg of cloves or 0.1 to 0.2 kg of flower bulbs should be planted.
After winteringwinter garlic careconsists of weeding and watering it several times in case of drought.
Note!When growing winter garlic, it is advisable to cut the inflorescence shoots immediately after they appear. This treatment increases the yield of garlic bulbs by about 30%. These shoots are not removed if it is planned to obtain an additional crop of air bulbs.
Winter garlic dug out of the field
Winter garlic - when to dig up
The most appropriate time todig up winter garlicis July, then you will also notice that the garlic leaves dry out. In winter garlic, which produces inflorescence shoots, the chives do not break down.
It is worth emphasizing that it is betterto collect winter garlic a little earlierthan too late. In garlic not harvested in a timely manner, the head breaks down into individual cloves, some of which may even re-root and grow deeper into the soil.After harvesting, the garlic is dried in the field for a few days, and it is completely dry indoors.
Dried heads with uncut chives can be braided. The roots should be cut to 1 cm. Remember, however, that thewinter garlic producing inflorescences has a much worsestorage than the forms without inflorescence shoots. Therefore, for longer storage, spring garlic planted in spring will be better.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
