Planting garlic for winter in Ukraine: planting in autumn

Each country plants this aromatic vegetable differently. For example, in Ukraine, a special technique is used to plant garlic for the winter, which can significantly increase the yield. Furthermore, the product contains many beneficial elements for human health and is excellent for fighting colds and other viral illnesses.

Advantages of autumn planting

Experienced gardeners plant this herbaceous plant at this time of year to get a large harvest. Planting garlic in autumn in Ukraine is due to the following advantages:

• Winter garlic is used in the summer, because spring varieties germinate faster;
• This variety, unlike summer species, has a high yield and large cloves;
• winter varieties are rarely susceptible to diseases, and pests do not cause damage to them;
• the crop will not require frequent watering of the beds, since the melting snow in the spring will significantly moisten the soil along with the rains;
• the time for planting increases, and if this is done in the spring, then due to the cultivation of the land and the work with other crops, there may not be enough time;
• If you follow the planting rules, garlic is not afraid of frost;
• A young herbaceous plant germinates faster than weeds in the spring, so their number will be minimal because the garlic will drown out the "extra neighbors."

As you can see, winter garlic has a number of advantages over spring and summer planting.

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Common varieties

Ukraine has a plethora of garlic varieties. However, only a few have been included in the State Register. The most popular ones include the following:

1. 'Prometheus'. White bulbs contain 5 to 6 cloves. A stalking variety. Growing season: 100-103 days. Has a medium shelf life.
2. "Sofievskiy" variety. Pungent in taste. It has a naturally occurring purple hue. The bulb contains 6 large cloves. The growing season lasts approximately 100 days. It has a long shelf life.
3. "Pobeda" (Victory). This variety produces bolting flowers. The bolting length is 2 cm. The growing season lasts 110 to 115 days. The head is purple and consists of 6 cloves. It weighs 40 g and has a strong, pungent flavor.
4. 'Merefyansky White'. It has a medium maturity and produces a stem. The growing season lasts 105 to 110 days. The bulb is medium-sized, consisting of at least 5 large cloves.
5. "Kharkiv Purple." This variety is particularly pungent. It bolts. Each head contains 4 to 6 cloves. Its growing season is 115 days. It has average shelf life, but tolerates frosts (-25°C) and produces a high yield of approximately 15 tons per hectare. The product has an excellent marketable appearance.
6. "Duchess." This early variety has a growing season of 85 to 100 days. The bulb is white, covered with purple stripes. The bulb contains up to 6 cloves. It's highly pungent.
7. "Starobelsky Local." A bolting variety. The growing season does not exceed 110 days. The bulbs have white skins and four to six cloves. The flavor is quite pungent.
8. "Leader." It has medium pungency and does not bolt. The head is white with a slightly dirty tint and weighs approximately 35 g. This variety is not very resistant to various diseases. It can be stored until mid-March.
9. "Spas" is a bolting variety. The garlic has a violet-gray color with a slight sheen. It has a moderate pungency, making it suitable for all-purpose use. Properly stored, it will keep until mid-April. High yields. Good resistance to fusarium and nematodes. High yields. Garlic is easy to grow in a variety of soil conditions.
10. 'Ukrainian White Gulyai-Pole' (non-bolting). Type: Winter and spring. Average maturity – up to 120 days. The bulb is regularly shaped, white with a silvery tint. It has multiple teeth. Bulb weight up to 23 g. Long shelf life and a sharp flavor.

Rules for planting herbaceous plants

Planting garlic for the winter in Ukraine in a timely manner guarantees a good harvest. It's important to wait until the cloves have sufficiently rooted, but not yet germinated, before the cold weather sets in. This is the time to plant garlic. If the vegetable's root system is well developed, it can withstand temperatures as low as -25°C (-25°F). Therefore, it's best to plant the herbaceous plant six weeks before the first frost.

Gardeners also take soil temperature into account (ranging from 10 to 12 degrees Celsius). If this technique is not followed, the cloves may sprout and not survive the winter. Winter garlic planting in southern, northern, and central Ukraine follows the following timeframe:

• Western and central regions - early October;
• northern regions of the country - end of September;
• Transcarpathia and southern regions – end of October.

Some gardeners in Ukraine believe that the lunar calendar can help determine the timing of winter garlic planting. They claim that, in addition to the ebb and flow of the tides, the moon can determine the growing season of all plants. The waning phase of the moon indicates excellent root crop development. It is during this time that the soil is enriched with nutrients as groundwater rises. Favorable days for planting garlic in 2018 are: September 4, 5, and 12; October 11-13; and November 8, 11, and 16.

Site selection

Garlic should only be planted in an open, well-lit area. Uneven soil is unacceptable. If the site is sloping, it's best to plant the vegetable on a hill, as water will pool below after rain, causing diseases and rot. Therefore, it's best to choose a flat area with plenty of sunlight. Acidic soil impairs garlic growth. To combat this problem, add lime to the soil.

Black soil is considered the best for planting, but loamy or sandy loam soil will also work. Before planting this aromatic plant, carefully analyze the soil's composition and then proceed with the main work. Fertility can be easily determined by the vegetable crops previously planted in the area. A poor harvest indicates a deficiency of a certain mineral essential to the soil.

It's recommended to plant garlic after crops such as pumpkin, beans, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, zucchini, radishes, grains, and cucumbers. After these crops, the soil will be self-fertilized and suitable for further planting. after garlicIt's not recommended to replant garlic bulbs in the same area as onions, onions, and potatoes, as the soil will be extremely depleted and won't be able to recover for subsequent plantings. Garlic can only be planted in the same area after four years. It's best to rotate the site each year, alternating between eggplants, cucumbers, and similar crops.

Preparatory work

The next essential step is site preparation. It's essential to thoroughly remove any previous vegetable crops. This should be done no later than a month before planting. This time will be sufficient for the soil to rest. The rest of the rules are as follows:

1. Two weeks before planting garlic, the area is dug to a depth of approximately 25 cm. All weed roots are removed.
2. The next step is to fertilize the soil using mineral and organic additives. 5 to 10 kg of humus per square meter is sufficient. It's recommended to dilute the fertilizer with superphosphate (1 tablespoon), ash, and chalk (2 tablespoons). If possible, add potassium sulfate (1 to 2 tablespoons). To keep the soil disease-free, water it with copper sulfate (10%).

Seed material

This step requires special attention. The yield of the garlic depends on its quality. Therefore, only healthy bulbs are selected for planting. They should not be soft or have dents, rotten areas, or other damage. The covering must be smooth and tightly adherent to the clove. Cracks at the bottom of the bulb are unacceptable. If any defects occur in one clove, the entire bulb must be discarded, as the remaining cloves will also be infected.

Only large bulbs are selected for planting, as they will produce larger bulbs, while small bulbs will produce smaller bulbs. This is an important rule to always remember. After selecting healthy, full-bodied, and attractive bulbs, disinfect the planting material. The most popular processing options:

• The vegetable crop should be boiled for about half an hour in an alkaline solution (400 g of ash per 2 liters of water), the liquid should be cooled and the cloves should be placed in it for 2 hours.
• Garlic is treated with copper sulfate (no more than 1 tablespoon per 10 liters). The disinfection time is 24 hours.
• The material is placed in a manganese solution (0.1%) and soaked for 24 hours.
• Create a solution of salt (3 tablespoons per 5 liters of water) and soak the garlic for 120 seconds, then repeat the treatment with copper sulfate for no more than 60 seconds.

Important points

In addition to selecting garlic, choosing a location, and disinfecting, you will also need to plant the vegetable crop correctly. What nuances are taken into account at this stage of work:

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1. The distance between rows is 25 cm. This distance is sufficient to easily remove weeds and loosen the soil.
2. The planting density depends on the size of the cloves. For example, large cloves should be planted 15 cm apart, while small cloves should be planted 10 cm apart. This planting frequency will ensure large, healthy garlic.
3. Planting depth also influences the yield. Here, too, everything depends on the size of the cloves. Holes should be dug to a depth twice the length of the cloves. For example, if the cloves are 3 cm long, the planting depth should be at least 6 cm. Therefore, to simplify the task, the planting material should be sorted by size in advance.
4. It's important to place the vegetables correctly in the furrows. Place the clove vertically into the hole and press it gently, but not too hard, against the base of the hole. This pressure is necessary to ensure that the clove doesn't tilt while being covered with soil, and that it maintains its original position. This will ensure proper formation of the head.

The final part

At the last stage you need to insulate formed bedsThis is the only way to protect planted garlic from frost. Experienced gardeners recommend the following course of action:

1. After planting vegetables, you'll need to mulch the soil using peat, pine needles, sawdust, tree leaves, or compost. Create a layer of insulation at least 5 cm thick.
2. In winter, the area where the garlic is planted is covered with an additional layer of snow. This additional blanket will protect the plants from frost, and during the thaw, it will provide additional moisture.
3. To hold snow in the beds and prevent it from melting too quickly, especially in areas with a slope, brushwood is placed between the rows.
4. At the end of winter, when the snow begins to melt, gardeners always fertilize planted garlicThey do it this way: take 10 g of superphosphate, 6 g of potassium sulfate, and 6 g of ammonium nitrate. This solution is enough to treat 1 square meter of soil. The process should be repeated after 30 days.
5. When on garlic soil yellow leaves are formed, this indicates the harvest is ripening. Winter garlic is harvested 30 days earlier than spring garlic.

Growing garlic in Ukraine is convenient, thanks to the favorable climate. However, achieving a large harvest requires some effort, and if done correctly, the return on investment will be many times over.