Garlic is considered the most common and multifunctional vegetable crop. It is used not only in the culinary field, but also in medicine when creating medicinal decoctions and mixtures. There are two main types of garlic – spring and winter. Before you start planting such a vegetable, you need to figure out exactly how winter garlic differs from spring garlic.
Features of spring garlic
Popular among vegetable growers spring varieties of garlic bushes, which are suitable for growing in open ground and in greenhouses. Round garlic bulbs have a complex structure that distinguishes them from winter varieties. In the scaly sinuses, several small teeth are formed, which over time become large lobules. They are distinguished by a triangular shape with a slight thickening closer to the middle. Garlic cloves are combined into one solid head, which is covered on top with purple, yellow or white scales.
The leaves of spring varieties have an oblong shape with a pointed tip. The width of each leaf is 1-2 cm, and the length reaches 30-35 cm. Subsequent leaves grow from the axils of the previous one, due to which a false stem is formed over time.
Also, a flower arrow forms on the bushes, which grows up to one and a half meters. After flowering, its tip is twisted into a spiral and covered with a thin film.
It is in the flower shoot that seeds are formed over time, which can be used in the future for planting garlic. Spring varieties are planted in the first half of spring, when the soil warms up to 5-10 degrees. It is not recommended to plant the vegetable earlier, as it will not take root in cold soil.
Features of winter garlic
To get a large amount of harvest, gardeners advise planting winter varieties of garlic.
The leaves of such vegetables are divided into two categories:
- Upper. They are located above the ground surface. The main task of the top sheets is the absorption of beneficial microelements.
- Scales. These are modified leaves that perform a protective function. They cover the garlic cloves and protect them from the external environment.
The upper leaves are quite long and grow up to 60-65 cm.At least eight leaves are formed on each bush. First, the lower leaves form on the bushes, from which a false stem then grows.
The main feature of most winter varieties is their large bulbs, the weight of which reaches 80-90 grams. Garlic heads have a flat-round shape. Their surface is covered with dense white scales, which protect the teeth located in the bulb.
Winter garlic is planted not in the spring, but in the fall before the first frost.
Most gardeners plant it in mid-October. Residents of the northern regions of the country begin planting a month earlier. However, you cannot plant garlic too early, as it will begin to sprout and its roots will freeze due to frost.
How are they different from each other?
To independently distinguish winter garlic from spring garlic, you need to familiarize yourself with their main differences.
By landing time
The main difference between these species is the time of planting. Spring garlic does not cope well with low temperatures, so it is not planted until spring. The ideal time for planting it is considered to be early to mid-March, when the earth warms up normally.
Winter garlic copes well with temperature changes, so it can be planted even in the fall.
By appearance
Easiest to distinguish types of garlic by their appearance. Spring varieties are distinguished by small bulbs containing 25-30 teeth. Another characteristic feature of such plants is that they lack a stem. Winter garlic bulbs are much larger and consist of 5-10 teeth, which are evenly distributed around the stem.
Care
The difference between different types of garlic can be seen by the way they care for the bushes. The spring type of garlic bushes needs fertile soil, which contains many nutritional components.
Therefore, to obtain a good harvest, you will often have to add organic or mineral fertilizers to the soil.
Winter plants do not need careful care, as they grow well even in sandy loam soil. Fertilize this garlic it is necessary much less often - 1-2 times during flowering.
According to ripening period
Spring varieties ripen in the second half of summer, so they are harvested in August. However, sometimes the timing may shift due to the climate in which the vegetable is grown. Ripe fruits of winter garlic are harvested a little earlier - in the first half of July. Determining that the bulbs are ripe is very simple. To do this, pay attention to the leaves, which should be yellowed and dry.
By keeping quality
The spring variety is distinguished by the shelf life of the collected heads, since even at too low or high temperatures it is stored for about two years. Winter garlic bulbs are stored much worse, especially at temperatures above 10-15 degrees. In such conditions, it will be possible to store the crop for no longer than six months.
Which one is better to choose?
Before planting vegetables, many gardeners are faced with the problem of choosing garlic. People who have never grown it before do not know which variety to choose. There is no clear answer to this question, since each variety has its own positive and negative sides.
However, if you determine the purposes for which garlic bushes are grown, then making the right choice is much easier.
If you plan to plant a vegetable in order to store the harvested crop in the cellar in winter, it is better to give preference to spring garlic. This species stores much better in almost any conditions.
To create winter preserves, gardeners are advised to choose winter, as its fruits have a rich taste. This variety is also more productive, so it is enough to create a large number of preparations for the winter.
Which garlic is better stored, winter or spring?
Many gardeners who grow garlic on their plots do not know which type of vegetable is best stored in winter. For winter storage, it is better to grow spring bushes, as their fruits have better shelf life. Winter crops are not suitable for storage in winter, since due to low temperatures they quickly lose moisture and begin to deteriorate. This happens due to the fact that such bulbs are poorly protected from the effects of temperature.
Conclusion
Some gardeners cannot choose garlic for planting because they are not familiar with its main varieties. Therefore, it is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the characteristic differences between winter and spring garlic in order to choose the appropriate variety for growing in the garden.
