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For planting garlic for the winter, averaged terms are determined, which are far from suitable for all regions. When growing garlic in the Urals, it should be borne in mind that the climate of this area varies from moderate to severe arctic, therefore, the timing of planting the crop may be different. Many gardeners are accustomed to being guided by the sowing lunar calendar. This allowance can be successfully used for that part of the Urals where the climate is temperate, however, for the northern regions, sowing dates must be adjusted depending on climatic and weather conditions.
Which garlic to choose – spring or winter?
For the successful cultivation of garlic in the Urals, it is necessary to choose exclusively adapted varieties. Until recently, spring varieties of garlic intended for this area did not exist at all, so only winter varieties were planted. All vegetable growers know that among winter crops there are varieties that form arrows (arrows), and there are those that do not form arrows. Garlic, forming arrows, is considered more hardy and frost-resistant. This fact should be taken into account when choosing a variety for a certain region of the Urals.
Most of the region has a sharply continental climate, with harsh winters followed by short but hot summers. In such conditions, it is important to correctly guess the time for planting the crop. For example, for the Middle Urals, it is necessary to choose only varieties specially zoned for this region. These include: “Azure”, “Vyatsky”, “Amethyst”, “Nazus”. In the southern part of the region, where the climate is more stable, any varieties suitable for growing in central Our Country, including spring varieties, can be planted.
Terms of planting
The timing of sowing garlic before winter may vary depending on the climatic conditions of the area. So, for the Middle Urals, the period from the last week of September to the end of the first week of October is considered optimal. For the Northern Urals, sowing time begins in mid-September, and if the weather does not please with warmth, then even earlier. In the southern regions, garlic is recommended to be planted in the first decade of October.
To a large extent, the timing of landing is also influenced by weather conditions. In ancient times, gardeners in the Urals were guided by folk signs. So it was customary to plant garlic:
- when the birds began to fly south;
- when the hands in the street became chilly;
- when it was no longer possible to stand barefoot on the damp earth.
Now, few people use these signs, and the main condition for the successful cultivation of garlic is the correct calculation of the time before the onset of constant cold weather.
It is necessary to plant garlic for the winter 30-40 days before the ground becomes frozen. This time is enough for the teeth to take root, but do not have time to sprout.
Dates according to the lunar calendar
As for the timing of planting according to the lunar calendar, many favorable days for sowing cloves are determined in August, but this month it is still too early to plant a crop, even in the Urals. In September, you can plant at the beginning of the month, which is also very early. But the ideal days, according to the lunar calendar, are the days of September 19-20. This period is suitable for the middle Urals, while in its southern part it is better to plant the teeth in October. The lunar calendar for October allocates the second half of the month for landing work, and October 17 is considered an ideal day.
Landing technology
Agrotechnics for growing garlic has many features, including:
- correct landing;
- further care;
- soil and seed preparation;
- choice of landing site.
Some vegetable growers strictly observe the first three points, but do not pay much attention to where the garlic bed is laid out, and after which plants it is planted. Meanwhile, the crop yield directly depends on this.
For garlic, it is very important to follow the principles of crop rotation – it is not recommended to plant teeth for two years in a row on the same bed, and you can return the plants to their previous place only when 3-4 years have passed.
It also matters who was the predecessor in the garden. Best of all, the culture grows after cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, all pumpkins. It should not be planted in soil depleted by root crops, as well as after onions.
Seed and soil preparation
It is known that, unlike spring garlic, which is sown only with teeth, winter garlic can be grown both from a tooth and from a seed bulb. In the latter case, it will take two years to obtain a full-weight head, and a head can be obtained from a tooth for the next year. Whichever option you choose, the seed must be properly prepared before planting.
The preparation of winter varieties consists in disinfecting the teeth in order to kill pathogenic bacteria in them and prevent plant diseases in the future.
To begin with, the teeth must be sorted out, damaged, withered, rotten and the smallest are discarded. After that, the material is placed alternately in the following solutions:
- salt (3 spoons / 5 l of water) – for 2 minutes;
- copper sulfate (1 spoon / 10 l of water) – stand for 1 minute.
If there is furnace ash, then the two previous procedures can be replaced with a solution from it. To prepare the solution, pour 400 g of ash into 2 liters of water, boil the mixture for half an hour, then cool. In a cold solution, the teeth are kept for 2 hours. After these procedures, the material can be considered ready for planting.
The main condition for a high yield of garlic is fertile, preferably sandy, well-drained soil. Also, plants do not tolerate acidic soil. If the soil in your area is acidic and heavy, you need to add lime 1 glass / 1 m². To improve the drainage properties, you can add a little river sand.
2–3 weeks before planting, the bed should be dug to a depth of 20–25 cm. During digging, fertilizers should be applied to the soil: humus 5–6 kg / 1 m², superphosphate 30 g / 1 m², potassium salt 20 g / 1 m². You can not fertilize the soil with fresh manure – garlic is sick from it and may even die. After digging, the earth is watered with a solution of salt (1 glass / 1 bucket) or copper sulfate (1 spoon / 10 l of water) and covered with a film before planting.
Disembarkation rules
Planting teeth for the winter is carried out at strictly defined times. Longitudinal furrows 10–15 cm deep are made on the prepared bed. The distance between rows should be at least 15 cm. teeth or bulbs are planted from a friend. Next, the sowing is covered with soil, slightly compacted.
It only makes sense to water the garden when the soil is completely dry. In other cases, the bed is covered with mulch (humus, peat, sawdust).
For some areas of the Urals, where winters are very severe, mulch alone will not be enough. Vegetable growers in these regions recommend covering the bed with a film, roofing material or other insulation.
Care
Garlic is undemanding in care. If it is covered for the winter, then all caring activities begin only in the spring. When the snow finally melts, the bed must be loosened to ensure oxygen access to the roots. You need to loosen carefully and shallowly, since the roots of the plants are located close to the surface.
Watering the beds is carried out as needed. In the stage of their active growth, the bulbs need regular soil moisture. In extreme heat, plants are watered 1 time in 2-3 days, on cloudy days – 1 time in 7-10 days, and when it rains, it is not necessary to water. Closer to harvest, 2-4 weeks before, watering should be stopped and the heads should be allowed to ripen.
Periodically, weeds should be removed from the garden. When the plants are mulched, there is no need for weeding, as well as frequent watering, since the mulch protects the soil not only from weeds, but also from drying out.
Video “Ural winter garlic”
In the Urals, you can grow very large (up to 150 grams) garlic. How to get the seeds of such garlic and how to grow it is discussed in this video.
Fertilizer
If the soil for the winter was filled correctly, then in the fall garlic does not need fertilizers. But starting in spring, the plants will need to be fed at least three times:
- the first, as soon as the snow melts, the soil is watered with a solution of urea (1 spoon / 1 bucket of water), the consumption of the product is 2 l / 1 m²;
- the second time, after 2 weeks from the previous top dressing, nitrophoska is used (2 tablespoons / 1 bucket of water), the consumption is the same;
- the last time, a month before harvest (mid-June) – superphosphate (2 tablespoons / 1 bucket of water), consumption 4 l / 1 m².
Supporters of all natural can use compost, humus, ash. As a top dressing, you can use liquid mullein in a ratio of 1:7 or litter 1:15. You need to water the bed from a watering can so that the solution does not get on the leaves, as it can burn them. In cold weather, foliar top dressing can be carried out with a solution of ash, or simply sprinkled with a dry plant agent – this will increase their resistance to diseases and pests.
Video “Growing garlic in the South Urals”
What is the lossless cultivation technology of noble garlic, you will learn from this video.
