It’s more than easy to grow a healthy additive for any dish with your own hands. Garlic is one of the most forgiving vegetables and all it needs is sunlight and a little water.
But you will get a useful harvest for many years to come (garlic is stored for a long time, and last year’s aerial bulbs or cloves can be planted in the soil, which will give a rich harvest next year).
Description of the variety
The Ukrainian variety of garlic has cloves 4–5 cm in diameter. On average, the bulbs are round and slightly flattened on top, 40–50 grams each and have 4–6 cloves.The fruits of this variety have a pungent taste, which differs significantly from others in this factor. The variety is bolting; as the plants grow, they reach a height of 70 cm, or even higher.
Aerial bulbs containing about 100 inflorescences are formed on the arrows. It has a striped color in the form of bright purple veins on a white husk. Over time, the husk becomes darker in color and almost completely turns purple.
Growing
The variety is mid-season, that is, the harvest can be harvested a little more than 3 months after the first shoots germinate. Winter varieties of garlic are planted in the soil in the fall, and there they must spend the entire winter. The cloves or aerial bulbs are planted at intervals of 10 cm, and covered on top with a layer of soil of 5–6 cm. It is better to separate the cloves from each other only before planting, so that they do not have time to dry out, and this is also the easiest way to keep track of them so that they are not among the bulbs. came across spoiled. Immediately before planting, it is important to thoroughly dry the workpieces so that they do not germinate in the soil ahead of schedule.
For planting you can use:
- aerial bulbs;
- cloves;
- single clove bulbs.
Planting aerial bulbs has a number of advantages; firstly, you will save a lot on planting material. Secondly, the likelihood of contracting diseases when planting bulbs is much lower. They are planted in the ground in the same way as cloves. Garlic can be grown in the same place for 2 years, this time is just enough to develop a full-fledged crop from aerial bulbs. In the first year, they produce single-clove bulbs, which are used for sowing a year later.
Features of care
Recommended for growing in the south of Russia in open ground; garlic needs a lot of sunlight and heat. When the garlic sprouts that have just appeared are strong enough, the first thing you need to do is thoroughly loosen the soil.
Be sure to periodically thin out the beds and remove weeds from them. Plants require constant watering, especially during early ripening periods. However, it is necessary to ensure that there is no excess moisture, otherwise the bulbs will begin to rot. This factor should also be taken into account when choosing a landing site. A few weeks before harvest, watering should be stopped almost completely.
Excess arrows must be removed, otherwise it can seriously reduce the yield. As fertilizers, it is suitable to use traditional humus and potassium salt. It is also worth sprinkling the soil with ash or lime regularly. At night, it is better to cover young garlic with spunbond, and in the winter you can use spruce branches for this.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantage of Kharkov garlic is the stability of the harvest; in addition, it stands out due to its taste. Garlic arrows can be eaten, for example in salads or in garlic sauce. Boiled arrow greens are even considered a delicacy.
This crop is unpretentious and is not at all difficult to grow. Caring for plants will not take you much time, money or special effort. In addition, Kharkov garlic is resistant to cold temperatures and theoretically it will grow even during low temperatures, down to 0°, except that the bulbs will not be as large as at normal temperatures.
Pests and diseases
Purple garlic is very weakly affected by diseases; pests are also not afraid of it. Most gardeners specifically plant garlic bulbs to provide protection for other plants.
But it is still better to use preventive measures to prevent diseases. Most often, plants are infected with fungal diseases, for example: bacterial rot, black mold or fusarium. You can fight them with the help of fungicides and other solutions, depending on what can affect the garlic. Often, simple digging along with the destruction of weeds can greatly reduce the likelihood of damage.
Harvest and storage
Harvesting should begin when the leaves begin to turn yellow and droop; the tops should be cut off immediately, leaving a maximum of 10 cm from the stem. Then the bulbs must be thoroughly washed, dried and peeled from the top layer of husk.
The harvest is well stored for a year or more in a dry, warm room, for example, in living rooms, pantries or in the kitchen. It is most convenient to tie the crop into bunches and store it in this form, this will ensure constant ventilation and prevent excess moisture from accumulating on the bulbs.
Reviews from gardeners
Most gardeners who plant Kharkov purple garlic are satisfied with the result. It is recommended to plant them along the edges of beds with strawberries or wild strawberries. This way the cloves will turn out much tastier and juicier.
This type of garlic can be used raw, as an additive to meat or salad, and for canning. The only thing is that in its raw form the taste may seem too spicy, so cooking it requires less than what is indicated in the recipes.
Bulbs store well if the minimum conditions are observed, otherwise they may begin to rot or dry out. It is better to choose a dry room with an average air temperature, then you can enjoy the healthy fruits for a long time.
