Garlic is unpretentious culture and it is absolutely easy to grow it. Planting can be done both in spring and autumn. Winter method allows to obtain higher yields. Therefore, it is used by gardeners much more often than spring.
Winter garlic, the cultivation of which involves the appearance of the root system before plant freezing, is planted in September. If the autumn is warm, you can wait until the end of the month. Otherwise, it is worth doing in mid-September. Before the onset of winter, the bulbs should grow roots with a minimum length of 10 cm. The timing of garlic planting can be different for different regions of Russia. The main thing is that at least 40 to 50 days should pass before the onset of frost.
Planting winter garlic begins with the preparation of bulbs. They are brought into a cool room for 2 to 3 weeks. The air temperature at the storage location should be approximately +3 - +4 gr. Celsius. The day before planting on the beds they need to be divided into cloves, which are distributed by size. At this time, they also begin to prepare the garden. It is necessary to dig the earth very deeply, at least for two bayonets of a shovel. This can prevent plants from being affected by a stem nematode.
The cloves are planted to a depth of about 9 cm.Winter garlic, the cultivation of which should be carried out using mulching, is covered with a 2 cm thick humus layer.This will not only allow the cloves to overwinter better, but also prevent the formation of crust on the surface of the beds in the spring. The distance between the teeth during planting depends on their size. Large plants are planted at the rate of 15 pieces per 1 square meter, medium, respectively, - 20 pieces. and small ones - 25. Before planting, they can also be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. This will be a good prevention from various pests.
Winter garlic, the planting of which, as has already been said, begins in September, gives the first shoots in late April or early May. During this period, you need to feed him. Ammonium nitrate is best used.
The second top dressing is carried out somewhere in the middle of June, and the third - after the appearance of the seventh leaf. It is necessary to remove the arrows, because if you leave them, the harvest will be three times less. Leave only a few pieces with inflorescences on the seeds.
When is it better to collect winter garlic? Its cultivation is completed at the end of July. At this time, the leaves of the plants begin to turn yellow and lie on the ground. The protective film of inflorescences bursts. To harvest the seeds, arrows with inflorescences about 25-30 cm long are cut. They need to be tied in several pieces and brought into a warm room for ripening. Cleaning should be carried out only in dry weather.
After the work related to the procurement of seeds is carried out, they begin to collect the bulbs themselves. To do this, plants are dug out of the ground and laid out in rows along the perimeter of the garden. Here they need to be left for a while to dry. Then, cut the stem from the bulb so that there remains a stalk the size of one cm. Roots are also carefully trimmed, trying not to touch the bottom.
Well, now you probably understand how to get winter garlic. Growing it is not at all difficult. Even a novice inexperienced gardener can cope with this task.