Growing spring garlic: rules and tricks

Garlic is one of the most popular vegetable crops in the world. It is widely in demand not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine. It is hardly possible to find a garden plot where it would not be grown. Caring for a crop is not difficult. Many gardeners, choosing between winter and spring garlic, prefer the second. This option attracts them with the best keeping quality.

What is spring garlic

Two varieties of garlic are distinguished - spring and winter. Both options have their advantages, but the first is more cost-effective for small plots of land, and the second for large farms. The yield of winter garlic is on average higher, the bulbs are larger, but the spring is healthier. Distinguishing them is easy.

Table: how to distinguish spring garlic from winter

Photo: spring and winter garlic

Video: how to distinguish spring garlic from winter

Popular varieties of spring garlic with photo

Selection does not stand still. Initially, spring garlic in Russia was exclusively a "southern" crop, but now it is successfully grown in most regions, since it has been possible to significantly increase its frost resistance. There are varieties specifically zoned for specific regions. As a rule, this can be determined by name - Leningrad, Moscow, Cheboksary and so on.

Common varieties of spring garlic:

• Abrek. There are no restrictions on the growing region in the State Register of the Russian Federation. A variety of medium ripening. The leaves are long (48-60 cm) covered with a thin layer of wax. Bulbs slightly flattened, one-dimensional (reach a weight of 26-30 g). Each has an average of 15 cloves. Flakes and flesh are white. Differs in special sharpness of taste. From 1 m², they get about 0.7 kg of garlic, in particularly successful seasons - up to 1 kg. The minimum shelf life is six months.
  

  Garlic Abrek - A Thrill Variety

• Aleisky. Variety of late ripening, ready for harvesting in 110-125 days after planting. Bred in Siberia, it is resistant to weather vagaries and temperature extremes. The leaves are low (up to 30 cm), for spring garlic there are few of them (9-10 pieces). Bulbs are rounded or slightly flattened, weighing 16-25 g. In each of 18-20 cloves. The pulp is very dense, crispy. From 1 m² remove up to 1.5 kg of bulbs. The harvest will continue without problems until the beginning of next summer. The variety is sensitive to high acidity of the substrate, deficiency of moisture, nitrogen and potassium in the soil - the leaves immediately begin to turn yellow. A serious drawback is the relatively low immunity.
  

  Aleic garlic quite often suffers from diseases and is attacked by pests

• Victorio. Ripening times are average. Leaves with almost no wax coating, medium-sized (20-25 cm long). The bulb is flat-round, sometimes pear-shaped, large (weighing 38-43 g). In each of 13-15 cloves. Cover flakes are yellowish white. The taste is not too sharp. From 1 m² you can get 0.98 kg of bulbs. The minimum shelf life is 8 months. Very good immunity against pathogenic fungi is characteristic.
  

  Garlic Victorio is valued for its mild flavor and long shelf life.

• Gulliver. One of the most popular varieties among Russian gardeners. By maturity dates refers to medium late. Harvested 90-98 days after planting. This is the only variety of spring garlic that forms the "arrow". The leaves are large, up to 55 cm long and 5 cm wide (the latter for this category of varieties is quite atypical), a dense dark green color with a thick layer of waxy coating. The bulb is noticeably flattened, almost of record size (weighing 90-120 g, individual specimens gain mass of 200-250 g). Each has only 3-5 cloves. Cover flakes are dirty gray in color. The taste is very spicy, intense. The minimum shelf life is 8 months. The average yield is 0.98 kg / m². The variety stands out with a high content of vitamin C, proteins and amino acids, as well as good immunity.
  

  Garlic Gulliver fully justifies the name, its heads are very large

• Elenovsky. In the State Register of the Russian Federation is listed as spring, but also suitable for landing in the winter. Recommended for cultivation in the North Caucasus. By maturity dates, it belongs to mid-ripening, the harvest is harvested after 110-115 days. Leaves of medium length (35 cm), narrow. Bulbs are almost spherical, small (21-23 g). In each of 15-16 cloves. The integumentary flakes are white, the flesh is creamy pink or with a purple tint. The taste is medium-sharp. Shelf life is very long, up to two years. The variety is appreciated for its high resistance to the nematode.
  

  Elenovsky garlic is much less likely than other varieties to suffer from such a dangerous pest as a nematode

• Ershovsky. Mid-ripening variety with no restrictions on the region of cultivation. The leaves are long (about 50 cm). Bulbs are flattened, of medium size (weighing up to 35 g), the number of denticles varies from 16 to 25 pieces. The taste is slightly spicy. The average yield is 0.7 kg / m². The minimum shelf life is 8 months.
  

  Garlic Ershovsky is suitable for cultivation on almost the entire territory of Russia
• Degtyarsky. The variety was bred specifically for cultivation in the suburbs and surrounding regions with a similar climate. Those who grow the crop on an industrial scale quickly appreciated it. The leaves are light green, almost without a wax coating, 35-37 cm long. The bulb is pear-shaped, the integumentary scales are white, with pinkish-red veins. In each of 16-18 cloves. The average mass reaches 38 g. The flesh tastes peninsular. Productivity - up to 0.3 kg / m². The shelf life of garlic is at least 7 months.
  

  Garlic Degtyarsky was originally intended for cultivation in the suburbs, but it was quickly appreciated by gardeners living in other regions

• Cledor. The variety, bred by French breeders, belongs to the elite category. By maturity - mid-season. It is characterized by low cold resistance, in a temperate climate it does not always manage to ripen. Bulbs are very large, with a diameter of 5-6 cm. In each of 20 or more cloves. Cover flakes are light gray, inner ones are pinkish. The pulp is creamy, dense, with a mildly spicy taste. The variety is valued for good keeping quality (minimum 10 months), excellent taste and quality. It is extremely rarely affected by pathogenic fungi and bacteria.
  

  Garlic Cledor - an elite variety of French selection, it is highly regarded for excellent immunity

• Permyak. One of the relatively new achievements of Russian breeders. Suitable for growing in any region. Ripening dates are medium. The leaves are pale green, a little over 30 cm long. The bulb is flattened, weighing 34 g. Each has 16-17 cloves. Cover flakes white with dark purple strokes, flesh pinkish-white. The taste is medium-sharp. The average yield is 0.3 kg / m². Bulb keeping time - at least 10 months.
  

  Garlic Permyak bred by domestic breeders relatively recently

• Flavor. Another variety bred in France, actively grown in Europe on an industrial scale. The average diameter of the bulb is about 6 cm, the mass is 80 g. Each of them has 15-20 cloves. The pulp is very dense and juicy, creamy white, peninsular. Minimum shelf life is one year.
  

  Garlic Flavor is very popular with European professional farmers.
• Sochi-56. A variety of early ripening. Harvested after 80-90 days. It is distinguished by excellent frost resistance and good immunity to most diseases typical of the culture. Bulbs are round, large, weighing up to 50-55 g. Each of them has 25-30 cloves. The taste is balanced, semi-sharp. Shelf life of the crop is up to one and a half years. From 1 m² remove up to 0.9 kg of bulbs.
  

  The undoubted advantages of the Sochi-56 garlic are their durability, good immunity and cold resistance.

Dates of planting and preparation of beds

Despite the fact that the planting of spring garlic occurs in the spring, the garden bed for it needs to be prepared in the fall. This variety of culture feels good in fairly light and fertile soils (sandy loam, loam) with a neutral acid-base reaction. High acidity can be neutralized by the introduction of dolomite flour, the “heaviness” of the soil with sand, its “lightness” with powder clay.

The place for the garden is chosen open, sunny. It is desirable to have some barrier nearby protecting it from the north wind. A slight slope is also welcome - in this case, a quick flow of water is provided. Spring garlic does not tolerate stagnation of moisture at the roots categorically. For the same reason, its landing in the lowlands is excluded - melt and rain water are standing there for a long time, and cold, moist air accumulates.

The garlic bed must be dug deep, along the way, clearing of vegetable and other garbage

The selected area is dug up to a depth of 35-40 cm, in the process making all the necessary fertilizers. About 1 cup of sifted wood ash, 4-5 l of humus or rotted compost and 10-15 g of complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (Nitroammofosk, Azofosk, Ammofosk) will be spent on 1 m². In the spring before planting, the bed will need to be well loosened again.

Compared to winter, spring garlic needs more nutritious soil, everything necessary is introduced into the soil in the fall

We must not forget about crop rotation. Bad predecessors for garlic are any onion (including flowers), carrots and plants from the Solanaceae family. Any bean and grain crops, greens, all kinds of cabbage, Pumpkin (cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, squash, melons) are suitable in this regard. Culture can be returned to its former place no earlier than 5 years later.

Garlic carrots are a bad predecessor but a very healthy neighbor

Spring garlic benefits the garden by being planted near roses, berry bushes, and wild strawberries. It effectively repels many pests typical of these crops, especially slugs and weevils. But the neighborhood with cabbage, peas, beans is undesirable - garlic inhibits their growth.

Garlic planted on the same bed with strawberries effectively repels slug berries - pests do not like the pungent smell

The planting time of spring garlic is determined by the climate in the region. The soil at this point should warm up to 5-7 ° C. But you can’t delay too much, otherwise the substrate, saturated with melt water, will have time to dry. And the culture does not like excessive dryness of the soil, just like the heat. In the warm southern regions, landing can be planned at the end of March, in areas with a temperate climate - in the last decade of April. In the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, the terms are shifted forward by another 2-3 weeks.

Spring garlic must be planted in moist soil

Bulbs feel comfortable and begin to form roots even at an air temperature of 4-8 ° C. As soon as the weather is stable and stable (above 12-15 ° C), the development of the root system ceases, the formation of the bulb begins. If a plant does not have sufficiently powerful roots at this point, it will not be able to provide it with nutrients in the right amount, which will negatively affect the quantity and quality of the crop.

You should not be afraid of spring return frosts. The cold tolerance of spring garlic is much less than that of winter garlic, but it will successfully survive small negative temperatures.

Preparation of planting material and planting technology

Getting a good crop is impossible without quality planting material. This is also affected by the storage conditions. The experience of gardeners indicates that garlic, which has lain in winter at room temperature, ripens longer, but forms larger bulbs. The cloves stored at a temperature close to 0 ° C give a faster crop, but the heads are small.

For planting, teeth are suitable without mechanical damage and dents, with elastic flesh, weighing 3-6 g. Immediately rejected those on which the slightest suspicious traces are visible, reminiscent of symptoms of disease and pest damage. Although fit and smaller. They can be placed in aisles on other beds to deter pests. They will go to the green. It is not recommended to select a head with a small number of teeth for planting. This is already degenerate garlic, it certainly will not give a good crop.

Planting material must be chosen very meticulously, the volume and quality of the future crop depends on this

In order to “wake up” planting material, whole heads are placed in the refrigerator for two to three days, wrapped in a damp linen towel or gauze. As it dries, the fabric will need to be moistened periodically. The larger the head, the longer it is kept in the cold.

Some gardeners instead practice heating the garlic for 8-10 hours in hot (40-45 ° C) water or germinating it (put in a plastic bag, wrapped in a damp cloth, leave it on a windowsill illuminated by the sun). Disassemble the heads into separate cloves no earlier than a day before disembarkation, so that the bottom does not have time to dry. Only dry husk is removed from the outside without damaging the inner shell.

10-12 hours before landing disinfection is carried out. The cloves of spring garlic are immersed for 2-3 hours in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate or 1% - copper sulfate. Also for these purposes, you can use an infusion of wood ash or a solution of salt (10 g / l). And for the prevention of fungal diseases, any copper-containing preparations - fungicides (Fitoverm, Kuprozan, Horus, Skor, Abiga-Peak) are useful. To accelerate the process of germination, biostimulants are used - Kornevin, Zircon, Epin.

Potassium permanganate solution - one of the most common disinfectants

Video: preparing garlic for planting

Garlic is planted with an interval between rows of 25-30 cm. The optimal furrow depth is 3-4 cm. With a greater depth, the development of the plant is slower. The teeth are placed through 8-12 cm bottom to bottom. The larger they are, the more space is left between future bulbs. Squeezing them into the soil and ramming the substrate after planting is not recommended, planting material can be damaged. If groundwater comes close to the surface of the soil, it is advisable to raise the bed by 15-20 cm.

The interval between adjacent cloves during planting depends on their size

Furrows are covered with a mixture of humus and peat crumbs on top, mulched with dry leaves, sawdust, straw, creating a layer 2-3 cm thick. Mass seedlings can be expected after 10-12 days.

Spring garlic sprouts appear rather quickly and amicably

Video: planting spring garlic in the ground

Spring Garlic Care

Garlic is a relatively unpretentious culture, but it will not work to get a plentiful crop without giving the beds at least a little time and effort. At a minimum, the gardener will need to regularly weed and loosen the soil. Weeds easily strangle spring garlic, taking away the necessary nutrition from it. Proper irrigation and timely fertilizer application are equally important for the crop.

Intensive soil moisture in spring garlic is required only at the initial stage of development, when leaves are actively growing. The plant immediately “reports” a moisture deficit - their tips turn yellow and dry. On average, one watering in 4-5 days is enough. The consumption rate is 10-12 l / m².

Watering garlic during the active growing season gradually decreases, gradually disappearing

When the bulbs have already begun to form, the substrate is watered very moderately, and if it is rainy, cool weather, it is not watered at all. Excess moisture at this time can lead to their heating, the development of pathogenic fungi.

Three weeks before the approximate date for the ripening of garlic, watering is stopped completely. Otherwise, the cloves will become watery. This negatively affects both taste and keeping quality.

The root system of spring garlic is weak compared to winter, it is not able to pull out enough nutrients from the soil to form large bulbs, so plants need large doses of fertilizer.

The first feeding is done when the leaf height reaches 4-5 cm. For the active formation of green mass, garlic needs nitrogen. It is watered with a solution of urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate (12-15 g per 10 liters of water). The natural source of nitrogen is fresh bird droppings or cow dung. But in its pure form, it is strictly forbidden to introduce it into the soil - the roots will immediately “burn out”. Instead, an infusion is prepared by pouring 2-3 liters of raw materials into a bucket of water and leaving for several days in a warm place under a tightly closed lid. Before use, it is filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 8 or 1:15, respectively, for manure and litter.

Urea - one of the most popular nitrogen-containing fertilizers

Excess nitrogen in the soil is harmful to garlic. This weakens his immunity. The plant begins to "fatten", forming a lush rosette of leaves to the detriment of the bulbs.

The following top dressing is phosphorus-potash. These fertilizers begin to apply from the moment the head is formed. Enough 2-3 times during the growing season with approximately equal intervals. The latter is about a month before the harvest ripens. If you are too zealous with these fertilizers, the cloves crack. Garlic is watered with solutions of potassium sulfate and superphosphate (8-10 g per 10 l of water). A natural alternative is the infusion of sifted wood ash. A liter jar of raw material is poured into 5 liters of boiling water, insisted for 8-10 hours, filtered before use.

Wood ash - a natural source of potassium and phosphorus

There are also special complex fertilizers for this crop. But first study the composition. Garlic is tolerant to chlorine and its compounds, they accumulate in the pulp.

When choosing a fertilizer for garlic, make sure that there is no chlorine in the composition

If the development of spring garlic is clearly too slow, you can feed it with natural organics - a solution of vermicompost, an infusion of green nettle, dandelion.

Diseases, pests, other problems

Despite the fact that garlic effectively repels pests from other garden crops and is a natural source of volatile production, it itself is by no means immune from diseases and insect attacks. The best preventive measure in this case is competent agricultural technology.

Of the diseases for spring garlic, the most typical are:

• Rust. The first symptom is narrow yellowish strokes on the leaves. Gradually, they become wider, turning into slightly convex spots of rounded shape, changing color to reddish-orange.
  

  The fungus of rust affects almost all garden crops; garlic is no exception

• Peronosporosis (downy mildew). In a humid climate, the disease develops very quickly, but the fungus does not like heat and drought. The development of the plant slows down, the leaves, starting from the top ones, turn pale, turn yellow and deform.
  

  Favorable conditions for the development of peronosporosis - high humidity and low air temperature

• Fusarium The problem is most typical for the hot southern regions. Although areas with a temperate climate are not safe from it, if the summer is successful in terms of weather. Leaves, starting from the tips, quickly turn yellow and dry, covered with thin brownish strokes. In the sinuses, a yellowish-pinkish plaque is formed, similar to mold. Lastly, the heads suffer - the teeth become soft, covered with the same mold.
  

  Fusarium garlic can affect the crop both during the active growing season and after laying it in storage

• Bacteriosis (bacterial rot). It can affect spring garlic both in the garden and during storage. Small brownish-yellow “sores” appear on the cloves, gradually increasing in size. The pulp becomes transparent, eventually turning into a cloudy mucus with an unpleasant putrefactive odor.
  

  Bacterial rot of garlic, which develops during storage, can very quickly destroy almost the entire crop

• White rot. The leaves turn yellow, a whitish coating similar to cotton wool appears on the heads. The teeth become like glass, quickly rot.
  

  It is impossible to get rid of white rot of garlic by modern means

Means for the treatment of bacterial diseases currently do not exist. Therefore, infected specimens should be removed as soon as possible from the beds and burned, disinfecting the soil with a saturated pink solution of potassium permanganate or 5% Bordeaux fluid.

In the fight against fungi, any fungicides are effective. It is advisable to choose drugs of biological origin (Alirin-B, Topaz, Bayleton, Maxim, Previkur), they are safe for human health and the environment. The first treatment is carried out, noticing characteristic symptoms, then another, with an interval of 7-10 days. With a solution of the drug, plants are sprayed, the soil is shed. For prevention, after the appearance of the first shoots, it is useful to treat spring garlic with folk remedies every 1.5-2 weeks - a solution of soda ash, kefir diluted with water or whey, diluted iodine.

Pests do not bypass the culture:

• Onion fly. Larvae eat out newly formed still soft denticles from the inside. They quickly rot. The plant withers, gradually dries. To scare away the pest, it is useful to alternate planting of garlic and carrots, dusting the soil on the bed with mustard powder, ground red pepper, tobacco crumbs. To combat the onion fly use Decis, Inta-Vir, Iskra-Bio.
  

  Planting nearby garlic and carrots is a very good solution; garlic repels carrot fly, carrot - onion

• Garlic nematode. A thin filiform worm penetrates the roots and gradually moves up the stem, laying eggs in the tissues. Leaves are covered with yellowish-brown spots, curled. Getting rid of the pest is very difficult. For prevention, the bed before planting and 2-3 times during the growing season is shed with saline (5-7 g / l). Nemabakt granules are introduced into the ground in spring. After harvesting - shed with Thiophos.
  

  It is extremely difficult to get rid of the nematode; pest eggs in the soil remain viable for up to five years

• Onion (root) tick. It penetrates the bulbs through the bottom, literally "grinding" it to a state of whitish dust, then eats the cloves from the inside. The heads rot, the plant dies. For prevention, the bed is watered with infusion of tansy, yarrow every 1.5-2 weeks. To get rid of the tick, special preparations are used - acaricides (Neoron, Omayt, Apollo).
  

  Onion mite is not an insect, therefore, special drugs - acaricides are used to combat it

Video: ways to deal with the onion fly

A common problem is the yellowing leaves of garlic. This is a characteristic symptom for many diseases. But it can also testify to certain flaws in agricultural technology, in particular, to a deficiency of macro- and microelements, moisture in the soil. In the same way, the plant responds to planting in a substrate of inappropriate quality.

Harvesting and storage

The fact that spring garlic has already ripened is evidenced by massive yellowing and lodging of leaves, softening of the root neck. Tentative period is the end of August or the beginning of September. You can not delay the harvest. The quality of such garlic is greatly deteriorating - the heads break up into separate cloves, the skin crackes, the bottom sprouts. Even a 2-3 day delay is critical.

Garlic removed from the garden is sure to dry well

You can speed up the ripening period of the crop by "redirecting" almost all the nutrients to the bulbs:

• Tie the leaves into a knot.
• Mulch the soil. So it heats up less, and the active growth of the head occurs precisely at a low soil temperature.
• Carefully flatly insert a sharp knife with a long blade under the head and slightly cut the roots to a depth of 3-5 cm. The procedure requires a certain skill, otherwise it is very easy to damage the bulb.

The garlic leaves tied in a knot, nutrients can no longer flow in the same volume, so they are redirected to the bulb

For harvesting, choose a sunny, non-hot day. To minimize mechanical damage, garlic is dug out with a pitchfork. Then it needs to be dried in the fresh air for 5-7 days. The heads are placed under a canopy to protect against possible rainfall. Direct sunlight also has a negative effect on them.

Dry bulbs are cleaned of adhering earth, their roots and leaves are cut, leaving 2-3 and 8-10 cm, respectively. Spring garlic is sorted out, discarding heads damaged by fungi, viruses, insects.

Video: recommendations for harvesting and storing garlic

Culture is not picky about storage conditions. But they will certainly affect the future harvest. Spring garlic demonstrates good keeping quality both at room temperature and at temperatures close to 0 ° C. It is only necessary that the place is dry and well ventilated.

Garlic does not require special storage conditions, it will suit both the apartment and the cellar

Garlic can be stored in cardboard boxes, wooden and plastic crates, baskets with ventilation holes, sprinkled with straw, sawdust, scraps of newsprint. To save space, they put it in bunches, put it in old nylon tights or linen bags, weave "braids", hanging them from the ceiling. Bulbs are well stored if they are individually wrapped in cling film or dipped in molten paraffin.

Garlic "braids" can be turned into an original decoration of the kitchen interior

Suitable for storage and peeled cloves. They are placed in opaque glass or wooden containers, sprinkled with flour, sifted with wood ash. And if you use salt or pour them with any vegetable oil, you can simultaneously flavor the product. Such oil, for example, is very good as a salad dressing.

Storing garlic in oil is both practical and beneficial.

When there is not much garlic, simply place the cloves in a special plastic bag with a tight fastener and put it in the refrigerator (compartment intended for vegetables and fruits).

Growing garlic, both winter and spring, even an aspiring gardener can afford. Each of the varieties of culture has its own timing of planting, harvesting and the nuances of care, which you need to familiarize yourself with in advance. Do not forget about disease prevention - contrary to popular belief, garlic has diseases characteristic of it and pests that attack it. An important point is the choice of variety. This depends primarily on the region of cultivation, but there are other determining factors.