How to properly cultivate the land before planting garlic for the winter

Since garlic is considered a rather picky crop, in order to obtain a large and high-quality harvest, especially when planting for the winter, a number of certain rules must be observed. This includes preparing the soil for planting. It takes one and a half to two months to start preparation. The landing date depends on regional and climatic conditions, so the timing should be chosen individually.

Favorable predecessor cultures

When choosing a planting site, it is worth considering which crops have previously grown on the site you have chosen. Favorable predecessors will be:

• Plants of the pumpkin family
• Cucumbers
• Legumes
• Rye (especially winter)
• Cabbage

Rye is one of the most favorable precursor crops, especially for garlic. Photo: kccc.ru

Crops such as carrots, radishes, potatoes deplete the soil, making it practically unsuitable for the growth of garlic. The crops listed above, on the contrary, enrich the soil and, in addition, neutralize the soil from pests that can harm garlic.

Seat selection

The best option for the location of the garden is an elevated area away from fences, protected from stagnant moisture and open to sunlight. Try to avoid lowlands, as the garlic will die if flooded. If there is no way to plant garlic on a hill, high beds will do.

An excellent option would be such a bed decorated with boards. Photo: ogorodsadovod.com

The composition of the soil is also important. Neutral soil is the best option. The high acidity of the soil is evidenced by the large number of weeds such as buttercup or horsetail. To lower the acidity, dolomite flour, slaked lime or chalk are added to the soil. With low acidity, woodlice, coltsfoot appear in the beds, to increase the acidity level, the soil is treated with wood ash.

Tillage

Preparing the soil for planting winter garlic begins with the introduction of organic fertilizers into the soil in the form of humus (one bucket per square meter) and mineral fertilizers. After that, the site must be dug up. This stage is an important step in getting a good harvest.

The following solutions are suitable for soil disinfection:

• Copper sulfate solution
• Strong manganese solution

The selection of high-quality planting material is also important. Only whole cloves should be selected without traces of rot and external damage. Processing the cloves of planting garlic in a weak solution of potassium permanganate will help protect them from disease.

Fertilizer

After planting the garlic, the soil is loosened and weeds are removed. After one and a half to two weeks, the soil is watered with a solution of copper sulfate. After that, it will be useful to fertilize the earth with boric acid (10 g) dissolved in a bucket of water, iron vitriol (2 g), potassium permanganate (3 g).

Fertilizing the beds will avoid unwanted pests and increase the yield of garlic. Photo: ogorod23.ru