Garlic
Garlic used as a spice has great healing properties. It contains vitamin A., B and C as well as microelements valuable for the human body: magnesium, calcium, copper, iron, sulfur, manganese i molybden. Garlic is also bactericidal. It is a perennial, which has an onion (head) composed of several bulbs (cloves). These cloves are used for reproduction, because garlic under our conditions does not produce seeds. Some types of garlic produce canopy-shaped inflorescence shoots (in which there are air bulbs next to the dead flowers), but flowers do not produce seeds. The number of cloves in one head varies from a few to 20. The size of the cloves can also vary greatly. Head weight from 15 do 50 g. The entire head and individual teeth are covered with scales, for long-term storage of garlic.
Garlic is resistant to low temperatures; when planted in autumn, it hibernates well in the ground. Please note, that it was grown and stored only at high temperature, e.g. 20°C, will not produce a head. Garlic has high demands on water, therefore it grows better in moist soils (especially the type that produces inflorescences). It also requires fertile soil, high humus content. Because it belongs to plants affected by fungal diseases, it should not be grown after onion vegetables and potatoes. When growing garlic for overwintering in the ground, positions should be selected after plants harvested early. It is planted in the beds in the second year after the manure.
Garlic has no variety; we distinguish now 3 its main types: producing inflorescences with air bulbs, lowland garlic and mountain garlic. The first type is characterized by lush growth (do 100-120 cm); forms flat bulbs, consisting of 6-9 large cloves, arranged in a regular whorl. The weight of the head is approx. 70 g. The taste is sharp. It is planted in the fall, because it stores badly. In turn, lowland garlic grows to a height 50-60 cm. The leaves are grooved, with a strong waxy coating. The heads consist of a large number of cloves (11-19). The average weight of the head is approx. 40 g. Mountain garlic has an extensive habit, intensely green leaves, almost no wax coating. The head consists of 9-14 cloves and weighs approx. 35 g; it has quite thick outer scales, thanks to which it keeps well. It is grown from spring planting, although it can also be planted in the fall.
In the fall, garlic is usually planted in the second half of October, because that's what it is, so that the plant has time to take root, but not expand, which would cause her to freeze. In spring, garlic is planted as early as possible, as soon as you can enter the plot or the garden. Garlic is planted in co-rows 20-30 cm, in a row what 6-10 cm depending on the size of the cloves: the larger the cloves we plant, the greater the yields we can expect. A good yield will be approx. 1 kg of heads z 1 m2. Garlic is planted in an upright position, heel down and tightly clamps the soil around the teeth. The depth of covering the cloves for autumn planting should be 5-8 cm, and when planting in the spring 3-5 cm. To be filled 1 m2 you need approx. 4-15 a dag of cloves, depending on their size, or 1-2 a dag of air bulbs.
During the growing season, it is advisable to supply garlic with nitrogen fertilizers as top dressing, e.g. calcium ammonium nitrate in the amount 15-20 g / m2 or ammonium nitrate in the amount of 10-12 g/m2. In addition, you need to weed and loosen the inter-rows and water. For inflorescence-producing garlic, it is advisable to cut these shoots after they appear; this affects the increase in yield. It is collected after the leaves have dried. Garlic not producing inflorescence shoots should be harvested, when about half of the plants have broken chives. The harvested garlic is first air dried for several days, and then spreads out in a fairly airy room.