When do you need to dig garlic in Russia and the regions?
The duration and quality of storage depends on the correctness of the harvesting of garlic. These factors play an important role, especially if the vegetable is grown in the northwest of the country. Harvesting time and storage depends not only on the region in which it grows, but also on the variety and weather conditions. If garlic bulbs are harvested after the specified time, they will quickly deteriorate and will not be subject to long-term storage.
Harvesting culture
Digging up garlic, people are guided by the following parameters:
- weather;
- external signs of culture;
- the growing season for a particular variety in certain climatic conditions.
Garlic is dug out, focusing on its external parameters. This is the first and foremost rule. Using all known and available methods, people have learned to accurately determine the timing of collection. A similar tactic is achieved through comprehensive care.
Collection of winter garlic in the central part of Russia
When is winter garlic dug in the central regions of Russia? The timing is influenced by the climatic features of the region in which the cultivation is carried out. In June, winter forms release arrows. As soon as the arrows have sprouted, they are broken out. This technique allows you to form large teeth.
The nutrients are redirected from the arrow to the bulb and help it ripen quickly. Using this method, you need to leave some plants with arrows. This is a kind of landmark by which the degree of ripening and ripeness is determined. Arrows play an important role in determining maturity by visual parameters.
By planning harvesting winter garlic, it is difficult to judge maturity by the state of the green mass, which is the above-soil part of the plant. A person can make a wrong decision if he or she is guided by this sign. The leaves of the plant turn yellow over time. But, this does not always indicate the degree of readiness for cleaning.
Yellow leaves
Often, yellowing indicates the presence of a disease or damage to the plant by parasites. It is also a clear sign of unfavorable weather conditions. The drying up of the green part of the culture says that the processes of photosynthesis have stopped. The plant stopped developing and growing.
The yellowed leaf variant can be considered as a guideline for harvesting. But, it is better to determine the readiness of the garlic for digging with the help of arrows. Mature heads are removed after the arrows are straightened. At the same time, cracks appear on the seed pod, which eventually expand and expose inflorescences.
Spring varieties
After the winter garlic has been dug out, they start harvesting other varieties. Spring garlic it is customary to extract from the soil 2-3 weeks after the winter. The same yellow leaves serve as a guide. But, in no case should the entire green part turn yellow. The central feathers remain green, while the lower leaves turn yellow and dry out.
According to this principle, garlic is harvested in 2018. For the central regions, the optimal time is late August-early September. The maturity of a vegetable can be determined by the inflorescences. But, this option is not suitable for spring garlic, since they do not form in it.
Large garlic
In western Russia, not everyone dares to grow a crop like garlic. Especially when it comes to regions that border the north. Before the onset of the planting season, people manage to calculate the risks and get a harvest of winter varieties of garlic. When to dig up garlic in such regions?
They start cleaning after cracking the inflorescence wrapper - the film that covers the unformed air bulbs. In the northwest, the vegetable begins to be harvested from August 23 to September 5. Residents of the Arkhangelsk region, with their own climate, also fall under the specified collection dates.
Folk signs
In ancient times, our ancestors did not have such knowledge as people in the modern world. But, this did not stop them from growing garlic and other crops. According to popular beliefs, July 12 is the maximum harvest time for garlic. If you dig it up later, it will not last long and will quickly deteriorate. Such terms are more suitable for the central regions of the country.
In the Urals, Siberia and the Far East, garlic is harvested later. An important role, in this case, is played by the cultivation of the crop - planting time, care and the selected variety. In the Krasnodar Territory, late harvesting dates are directly related to maturation. Garlic is also dug up later in the Omsk, Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions.
Harvesting recommendations
Is it important to adhere to the harvest time of the bulbs? What difference does it make when to harvest the bulbs? A week earlier or a week later. The main thing is that the weather is sunny, not rainy. Most gardeners think this way, and this is wrong.
The timing of when to harvest the garlic is of the utmost importance. An extra 3-4 days of bulbs stay in the soil worsens their condition and quality. It is not so important where the garlic grows: in Rostov, Vologda or any other region. The main thing is to be able to determine the level of ripeness of vegetables.
Not everyone knows a little trick that will allow you to grow large heads of garlic. It is about the same collection time. If you do not dig up a vegetable in a timely manner and leave it in the soil, it will lose its taste and presentation. The scales will flake off easily, and the teeth will disintegrate.
In this form, the vegetable loses its ability for long-term storage. It is not recommended to dig out winter garlic ahead of time. Unripe cloves quickly dry out during storage and lose useful substances and, accordingly, properties.
The importance of garlic arrows
Often, in order to speed up the ripening process of the vegetable, the garlic arrow is removed. This procedure is not always useful and necessary. When deciding whether to cut off the arrows, it is important to take into account that winter varieties of vegetables react differently to removal. For some species, this procedure is contraindicated.
Removing the arrow affects the growing season:
- ripening accelerates;
- the formation of an air bulb stops;
- provokes yellowing of the leaves.
As a result, harvesting dates come ahead of time. Together with this, the weight of the underground bulb increases. The denticles get larger. This is how certain garlic varieties react.
Wild species have a tall arrow with a small bulb. If you do not remove the arrow, all the leaves die, and the plant gradually dries up.The arrow itself remains green, which indicates that photosynthesis continues inside it, and nutrients continue to accumulate. The bulb itself grows by increasing its mass by 15%.
Types of garliccommercially available from Central Asia do not require removal of the arrow. Varieties that are intended for cultivation in Siberia, the Altai Territory and the Urals need to be cut off from the air bulb. This method increases the yield of the vegetable. When starting to plant garlic, you need to know its origin, so as not to violate the rules of cultivation and collection.
Crop harvesting rules
Regardless of the region in which a person lives, in the East or North, preparation for cleaning always begins in advance. The digging procedure is as follows:
- A month before harvesting, winter and hot garlic stop watering.
- To speed up the ripening process 2 weeks before digging out, the soil is raked off the bulbs.
- No matter in which city or village the harvest takes place, the main thing is that the day is sunny.
- If the garlic is removed from the garden, it should not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time. It is better to use a canopy for drying.
It takes no more than 2 weeks to dry. After a specified period of time, the bulbs are sorted out and prepared for winter storage. If the head rots or is damaged, it is set aside so as not to spoil the whole bulbs, the sprouting bulbs are also set aside.
Storage
In the Khabarovsk Territory, people first tie several garlic together, forming a bundle. The vegetables are hung for ventilation. The same is done in the seaside.
The timing of harvesting a vegetable affects the quality of the mature vegetable and the storage duration. People who know when to harvest winter garlicalways get a good harvest. Kaliningrad, the Urals, Siberia and other regions of Russia are famous for growing garlic. The right approach to business allows you to harvest and enjoy it throughout the winter period before planting a new batch of bulbs.
For different regions, different harvest times. But proper cultivation is also a very important aspect. I use for feeding BioGrow, the yield increases significantly, by 30% for sure!