Garlic is as regular a guest in our garden beds as potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. However, garlic, unlike its neighbors in the garden, has two forms - spring and winter. Most summer residents prefer winter varieties. Is it correct?
Winter varieties need to be exposed to low temperatures for several months. Only in this case will you be able to get a decent harvest from such garlic.
Spring varieties do not require extreme conditions. They are planted in the spring, when the air temperature is stable at no lower than 8°C, and by autumn they have time to fully ripen.
- 7 ways to plant winter garlic
Winter garlic is planted not only with cloves, but also with aerial bulbs, as well as sets. And this can be done in different ways.
Which garlic is better: winter or spring?
There is no definite answer to this question: everyone chooses the type of culture depending on their personal preferences.
There are several principles that will help you make your choice:
- If you have a small plot, then it is better to choose winter varieties, as they give a better harvest and do not take so long to ripen. Large farms prefer spring varieties.
- Winter crops have a powerful root system, which develops even during planting - in the fall. When it gets warm, garlic immediately begins to grow. The first harvest is harvested at the end of July - beginning of August.
- If the summer turns out to be cool, then there is a high probability that spring garlic will produce poor fruit. While winter is distinguished by excellent resistance to bad weather. For example, to severe frosts or prolonged drought.
- If safety is a priority, choose spring varieties.
Is there a fundamental difference
Winter garlic is planted in the fall and thereby saves time in the spring for working with other crops, and ripens in the summer, when housewives are preparing and canning vegetables. It is not well preserved in winter, and may lose the desired quality before spring planting, but it overwinters well after planting in the garden and produces a good harvest. Spring, on the contrary, is well stored until spring, but does not take root well when planted before winter.
It would be wrong to say that these two varieties are fundamentally different. Any of them can be planted both in spring and autumn. But if the recommended terms are observed, this crop gives a rich harvest of good quality, and if it is not observed, as a rule, the harvest is meager and not large.
How are they different from each other?
Let's look at the criteria by which winter crops are distinguished from spring crops, and also look at photos of different varieties.
By appearance
How to distinguish varieties by appearance? First of all, it is worth noting the shape of the head and the number of teeth. Winter crops usually have 6 or 8. They are large and almost identical in size.
In spring varieties, the number of cloves reaches 20 pieces, they are all different in size. Arranged in a spiral - the closer to the middle, the smaller.
Winter garlic has arrows with bulbs. Because of them, the head becomes smaller in size, since the arrows take a large share of the nutrients, so they need to be removed. Spring varieties do not have arrows. The husk of winter crops is harder and denser, while that of spring crops is soft.
Taste
Most gardeners note that spring varieties have a softer and more piquant taste. While many winter varieties are distinguished by their sharpness and pungency.
By composition and properties
The shoots (leaves) of winter varieties contain many vitamins and useful elements: ascorbic acid, vitamins B1, B3, provitamin A. Garlic heads contain polysaccharides, vegetable protein, and fats (essential oils).
After ripening, the cloves produce a lot of fructose and glucose. They are well absorbed by the body and are of great value for human health. In addition, winter varieties boast a high content of fiber, starch, and organic substances.
Vitamins are represented by carotene and nicotinic acid. Separately, it is worth mentioning thiamine - it is found only in garlic. All of these microelements are beneficial for the human body: they participate in redox processes, have an excellent anti-inflammatory effect, and act as natural bactericides. In addition, winter crops contain phosphorus, potassium, copper, sulfur, selenium, zirconium, sodium, and calcium.
As for spring varieties, they are not inferior to winter varieties in terms of the amount of nutrients. Iodine is of particular importance: 1 kg contains 0.94 mg. Garlic also contains amino acids, including lysine. Essential oils are characterized by high antibacterial properties.
Important! The chemical composition of both spring and winter garlic depends on the variety, soil, climatic conditions of the region, storage conditions, and the composition of the applied fertilizers.
According to ripening period
Spring crops ripen in the second half of summer, so the harvest is harvested in August. Winter crops ripen much earlier - at the beginning of summer. Determining whether the bulbs are ripe or not is very simple: the leaves of the plant should turn yellow and dry.
By landing time
This is the main difference between the two cultures. Winter crops are planted about a month before the first frost. As a rule, this is the end of September - beginning of October.
Winter has excellent frost resistance and tolerates harsh climatic conditions well. Spring tree does not tolerate changes in weather well, so it is planted in early April - it is necessary for the ground to warm up at least a little.
By keeping quality
Spring garlic is stored better than winter garlic. It does not lose its taste and presentation for up to 1 year. Some varieties can be stored at low temperatures for up to 2 years.
The main thing is to store the vegetable in a dry, dark and cool place. Most winter varieties are stored for a maximum of about six months.
Care
Spring needs more careful care ; it requires fertile soil. The variety also “loves” fertilizing, which gives the plant the necessary minerals.
Winter crops are more unpretentious ; they need to be fertilized 2 times less. Both varieties require regular watering and weed removal.
Garlic: general description of the culture
Humanity has cultivated garlic as a spice since ancient times. Breeders around the world select variations of taste, smell, color and size to suit everyone's preferences. Today, about 600 varieties of this plant are known.
The place of a wonderful vegetable in plant taxonomy
Recent research has made it possible to classify garlic as a member of the Amaryllidaceae family, a subfamily of Alliums. It is characterized by the following structural features:
- inflorescence umbrella, with inconspicuous flowers of various colors from white to purple, spherical in shape;
- the umbrella is covered with film until flowering;
- the flowers are inconspicuous, after which aerial bulbs are formed - bulbs, which serve for sexual reproduction;
- the leaves are flat, lanceolate, with a depression along the midrib, that is, they are keel-shaped;
Garlic
- they grow from one another, allowing the formation of a false stem, they are also very strong, leathery, and may have a coating;
- teeth are formed in the axils of the leaves;
- a head of garlic is a bulb that can contain from 1 to 20 cloves;
- bottom - a modified stem that is attached to the fruit, greatly shortened, roots are attached to it.
The root system is fibrous; by the time the plant ripens, the roots pull the bulb deeper underground in order to calmly survive the dormant period.
Habitat
Garlic comes from Central Asia, where it began to be cultivated more than 5 thousand years ago. Since then it has spread and become loved all over the world.
The culture does not grow on lands with high acidity. She prefers loams, sandstones, that is, fairly structured, light types of soil.
The secret of garlic's spiciness
In composition, it is extremely rich in vitamins and microelements, but an important feature of garlic is due to the presence of alliin and the enzyme alliinase. These two components are normally separated in the cells of the plant, but when their integrity is disrupted, allicin is formed - an organic compound that gives the vegetable a pungent odor and pungent taste.
Interesting! Allicin is a sulfoxide. This is a compound that, when it comes into contact with human mucous membranes, forms a small amount of sulfuric acid. This is what causes the heat and pungency.
Other differences
A few words about the culinary purpose of the varieties.
If you want to use vegetables for canning and pickling , then it is better to plant spring garlic. It is more compact and more convenient to use for workpieces.
If you use the plant for making sauces and seasonings, then winter garlic is more suitable. It has a sharper and brighter taste. It makes excellent adjika and ketchup.
What type do gardeners prefer?
Gardeners in the southern regions of our country love spring varieties. The warm climate and fertile soil give garlic everything it needs, resulting in a rich harvest.
If you live in central Russia, we recommend winter varieties. They withstand bad weather better and are resistant to frost.
If you use the vegetable as a seasoning for dishes, choose spring varieties. If you want to get as many fruits as possible, choose winter ones. The choice of variety depends on your goals and desires.
We will tell you about the top 36 best varieties of garlic and help you with your choice in this article.
Recommendations for planting
Spring garlic, as mentioned above, is planted in the spring. The optimal period is the end of March - beginning of April. Planting is carried out as soon as the snow and water disappear from the beds, and the temperature is established at a level not lower than plus 5 degrees. The main condition is that the soil is saturated with moisture; if there is not enough moisture, the garlic will grow with a lower yield. Hot weather is destructive for planted spring varieties; for this reason, it is important to plant in spring as early as possible.
Planting winter garlic in the spring allows you to get high-quality and tasty greens.
Winter garlic is planted in the fall, 15-20 days before the onset of stable weather with low temperatures and frosts. This period occurs at the beginning - mid-October. It all depends on the specific variety and climate characteristics in the region.
General landing requirements
- The depth of placement of cloves in the soil is 5-7 cm for winter crops, 3-5 cm for spring crops. Greater depth is important in the fall so that the soil layer provides additional protection in the winter.
- The shallow depth in spring allows spring varieties to germinate quickly while the weather is moderate.
- Planting is done in rows.
- The distance between rows is 15-20 cm.
- The distance between plants in a row is 10-15 cm. The exact parameters depend on the size of the planting material.
Planting scheme for spring and winter garlic
It is important to change areas and beds for planting garlic. It is best to alternate planting them with legumes, cucumbers, and cabbage. It is not recommended to alternate with onions and potatoes. After using the soil for garlic, it needs to be given a “rest” from this plant for at least 3 years.
The proximity to onions is dangerous, since these “related” plants are affected by the same diseases.
The yield of spring garlic is affected by the nature of winter storage. If the bulbs were stored in a warm room where the average temperature was 18 degrees, the garlic will grow large, but its ripening time will be extended. Storing in a cooler place (most often a balcony or basement is used), at an average temperature of plus 5 degrees, the plant will produce smaller bulbs, but the growing season will be shorter, and the harvest will ripen earlier. Experienced gardeners recommend storing garlic in a warm place after harvesting, and 30 days before planting, that is, in February, transferring it to a cooler place for storage.
Shoots of winter garlic in spring
A mandatory requirement for planting is mulching and loosening the soil. These measures will preserve moisture and oxygen in the soil and protect it from compaction. The following are used as mulch: peat, sawdust, hay, straw. Mulch layer – 2-5 cm.
Cleaning tips
To harvest a high-quality harvest of spring or winter garlic, it is necessary to harvest on time, following several rules for preparing for storage.
Straightening the arrows - the garlic is ripe
- The ripeness of winter garlic is determined using arrows. As they grow, they twist and twist. As soon as the arrows become straight, you need to prepare for harvesting - the garlic is ripe.
- In spring garlic, due to the absence of arrows, ripeness is determined using the leaves. If the leaves of the lower tier begin to dry out and “fit” to the soil, and the upper ones turn yellow, you can begin harvesting.
- Cleaning is carried out in dry and sunny weather.
- It is more convenient to use small forks for digging.
Drying the crop before storage
You need to dry the garlic in a well-ventilated place. In practice, dirt-free garlic is dried directly on the beds. The main thing is not to get caught in the rain or strong sun. For this reason, it is better to prepare a special place with a canopy. Drying time is 10-15 days.
Leaves and roots are not cut off immediately after digging. The greens will provide nutrients for the ripening of the bulbs. Pruning is carried out after drying.
Storing garlic in nets
After drying, you need to sort out the garlic, discard diseased and rotten bulbs, and select planting material for the next season. When sorting, you need to group, dividing the harvest into groups: large, medium and small bulbs. For storage, you can use mesh bags, cardboard boxes, wooden boxes, special plastic pallets, etc.
The best spring varieties
Garlic "Elenovsky"
The top 3 best spring crops look like this:
- Elenovsky. The rounded white bulbs appeal to many gardeners. The weight of one head ranges from 30 to 40 g. The cloves are soft pink, there are about 25 of them in one bulb. Elenovsky is stored for a long time - about 2 years. The variety is characterized by high yield and resistance to fungal diseases. Maintenance does not require special knowledge, the main thing is to water and remove weeds on time.
- Aleysky. Late-ripening variety, stored on average about 9 months. The best predecessors for planting are cabbage, cucumbers, and potatoes. Among the disadvantages: it is easily susceptible to onion flies, which is why it is necessary to apply fertilizing and fertilizers on time. Widely used in cooking and canning.
- Flavor. This variety came to us from France and won the attention of many gardeners. Resistant to fungi and parasites. The heads are medium, the flesh is dense, medium-spicy. It is characterized as a fertile variety, excellent for growing in the middle zone of the country.
The best winter varieties
Garlic "Alekseevsky"
Top 3 best winter crops:
- Alekseevsky. One of the most popular winter varieties is also called Alekseevsky giant. The weight of one head reaches 200 g, the husk is white. The head contains 4-6 large, even teeth. The smell is pungent, the taste is spicy-sweet, piquant. Resistant to diseases.
- Lyubasha. Weight - about 150 g, the husk is white and pink. It is characterized by high productivity and tolerates both high humidity and prolonged drought. Widely distributed in central Russia. Does not require special care.
- Titanium. The variety ripens within approximately 110 days after the appearance of the first shoots. The height of the plant is about 35 cm, the heads are large, weigh about 150 g, each with 4-6 cloves. The head is round with purple-white scales. Titanium is perfectly stored for six months and does not lose its beneficial properties.
