How to prepare a bed for garlic for fall planting

It is necessary to carry out comprehensive measures so that the garlic can survive the winter period and become established in the soil in the spring.

How to choose a good place to grow garlic?

Garlic thrives in sunny locations where snow melts before other areas. This means finding an open spot is essential. Shady areas and areas where meltwater collects are not suitable for planting garlic. If you have no choice, and your entire plot is like this, you'll need to build raised beds for the garlic. planting garlicFor garlic to thrive, it's essential to provide the plant with light and moisture. If it doesn't receive at least a minimum amount of light per day, it will die.

In a large area, a separate plot is usually allocated for this fiery vegetable. However, in a small plot, garlic can be planted alongside strawberries. These two plants can coexist perfectly. Garlic also thrives alongside carrots, beets, and lettuce. However, choosing the location for this fiery vegetable should be done very carefully. Avoid making the beds too high, as the wind can blow snow away in winter, potentially freezing the crops.

How do you prepare a garlic bed for fall planting? It's important to understand that garlic shouldn't be planted in the same bed for several years in a row. Otherwise, pests will accumulate in the soil, ruining the harvest. Various tests have shown that three years must pass before the plant can be planted in the same spot.

It would be great to plant garlic after cucumbers, cabbage, or legumes. However, never plant garlic after potatoes or onions. Try to choose light, sandy loam soil. If the soil is not permeable, add sand or expanded clay beforehand.

Preparatory work for planting garlic in the soil

In order to plant winter garlic, it is necessary to prepare the soil a month in advance and check the soil in advance. lunar calendar Gardener. Planting is usually done in early September. The actual preparatory work and soil cultivation will depend on the soil type. If your site has predominantly clay soil, it will need to be loosened. A full bucket of peat and sand is added to the soil. The amount of fertilizer added is based on one square meter.

For peaty soils, add a bucket of loamy soil and the same amount of sand. If your plot, specifically the bed where you'll be planting the fiery vegetable, has predominantly sandy soil, you should add two buckets of clay soil and a bucket of peat. However, adding humus or compost to the soil is essential. Either component can be added at will, regardless of the soil type.

How do you prepare a garlic bed for fall planting? The process doesn't stop with choosing the soil type. You'll also need to add some fertilizer. To do this, combine a large spoonful of double superphosphate with two large spoons of potassium sulfate and one large cup of chalk. For added benefit, add a couple of cups of wood ash to the soil.

If you're planting garlic not in an empty raised bed, but in soil after other crops that were previously fertilized with manure, there's no need to add compost. Remember this very important rule, which all inexperienced gardeners follow: Never add fresh manure to the soil if you're planting garlic. It's essential to evenly distribute mineral fertilizer over the entire surface. Before planting, be sure to dig the soil to a depth of 20 centimeters.

What should the dimensions of the garden bed be?

It's advisable to choose the optimal height for the beds. It should be between 15 and 20 centimeters. Afterward, the soil should sit for about two weeks without any intervention. During this time, the soil will settle. It's essential to wait this time, otherwise, when planting, the cloves will go too deep, which will prevent adequate oxygen flow. If there's little rainfall in the fall, you can water the bed several times. This will help the soil settle.

Now you know how to prepare a bed for garlic planting in the fall. But even though you have everything ready, you still need to do some preventative maintenance. diseases and pestsThe soil in the selected bed should be sprinkled with copper sulfate and covered with plastic wrap until planting. The solution is very easy to prepare. To do this, take a large spoonful of copper sulfate and dissolve it in two liters of boiling water. Then dilute the resulting solution with cold water. The final result should be 10 liters of solution, enough to treat two square meters.

You can prepare a slightly different solution, but it also requires copper sulfate. First, dissolve everything in boiling water as usual. Then, fill a clean, two-liter container with cold water. Dissolve a large spoonful of baking soda and the same amount of ammonia, but from a hardware store, not a pharmacy. Combine the two solutions, and you should end up with 10 liters of the solution.

How should the soil be treated before planting fiery vegetables?

Before planting garlic in the soil, you need to thoroughly prepare the soil. It should be treated with special products available at hardware stores. Fungicidal products are very popular, including Fitosporin and Topsin-M. These products help kill fungal spores and prevent their proliferation. You'll also need Acrobot antiseptics for soil treatment. These can be combined with other products.

How do you prepare a garlic bed for fall planting? The soil should be irrigated with a strong manganese solution. To prepare, you'll need 10 liters of water, which will dissolve the crystals. You can also dissolve 100 grams of Bordeaux mixture in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution is suitable for treating one square meter of soil.

Preparing the cloves

In addition to the soil, you need to prepare the seed. The cloves need to be calibrated. This means selecting only large, healthy cloves. Slightly damaged cloves should not be used for planting. The bottom of each clove should be removed to help the roots grow unimpeded. A week before planting, soak the seed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

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Planting garlic in the ground

Planting garlic correctly is crucial. Dig a 15-centimeter-deep hole in the garden bed. Fill each hole with sand to a depth of about 3 centimeters, then water thoroughly. Now you can plant the garlic with the pointed end facing up. Leave about 12 centimeters between each adjacent garlic plant. Then, cover the planting material with soil. Water the top of the furrow again. Cover the garden beds with slate before the cold weather sets in.

Now you know how to prepare a garlic bed for fall planting. All the tips above will help you grow a healthy harvest.