In the agroclimatic zone of the Central Black Earth Region, both winter and spring types of garlic. Winter varieties are harvested in mid- or late July. Spring plantings of garlic ripen 2–3 weeks later. A more accurate forecast can be made if the growing season is known, which for different varieties can last from 95 to 135 days.
Let's try to determine Harvesting time for winter or spring garlic for areas included in the Central Black Earth Zone. These include Kursk, Tambov, Lipetsk, Belgorod and Voronezh regions. In these areas, garlic has all the necessary growing conditions.The soil composition is on average the same. There are differences in the duration of frost-free periods and the transition of average daily temperatures to positive values. We will assume that the agricultural cultivation technology fully complies with the norm.
Important! Winter and spring crops types of garlic harvested 2–3 weeks apart.
How to calculate the cleaning date?
Spring garlic is sown 40–45 days before the onset of persistent winter frosts. During the autumn period, the teeth take root well and begin to grow with the onset of spring. Bulbs germinate when average daily temperatures move to positive values. This will be the main reference date for calculating the harvest date. At an average daily temperature of 5–8 degrees Celsius, the plant begins to grow and it will take 90–100 days until it ripens.
According to statistics, periods of warming with daily averages above 5 degrees Celsius begin:
- in the Lipetsk region - in the last days of March;
- in the Voronezh and Belgorod regions - in early April;
- in the Kursk region - in mid-April;
- in the Tambov region - in the third ten days of April.
This means that winter garlic is dug up:
- in the Lipetsk region in early July;
- in Voronezh and Belgorod - in mid-July;
- in Kursk - in the third ten days of July;
- In Tambov and the surrounding area, the harvest is harvested in early August.
There is a difference in the timing of collection even within each territory, in the north and south of the region. Therefore, the answer to the question of when to dig garlic in the Kursk region may have several options.
Similar calculations are valid for spring garlic. With the transition of average daily temperatures to positive values, intense heat accumulation occurs and after 10–15 days planting begins.
Unlike winter varieties, garlic cloves planted in spring spend a lot of time rooting. Therefore, even varieties with a very short growing season are not able to catch up in growth with autumn plantings. The difference between collection periods ranges from two weeks to a month.
The Central Black Earth Region, with a temperate continental climate, is ideal for growing spring garlic. Despite certain differences in temperatures and precipitation in different areas, the bulbs have time to ripen by the third ten days of August.
It is impossible to combine harvesting of spring and winter types of garlic. Moreover, overripe bulbs literally fall apart into slices. In addition to losing its presentation, such garlic does not store well.
How to determine readiness?
In order not to be late with harvesting, you need to carefully monitor the plants during the formation of the bulbs.
- Garlic leaves sprout sequentially. A new leaf grows inside the previous one, forming a false stem. As soon as growth stops, the hollow stem loses stability.
- The feathers begin to gradually yellow and die. The outer row of leaves, which appeared earlier than the rest, turns yellow first.
- The false stem dries out, forming an onion neck. The thinner it becomes, the faster the process of ripening of the bulb occurs.
- In plants with a removed arrow or in non-shooting varieties, drying out and lodging of the main mass of the feather indicates the readiness of the bulbs for harvesting.
- In bolting plants, you can determine when to dig up garlic by looking at the condition of the peduncle. The inflorescence wrapper, which holds the bulbs, cracks, dries out, and acquires the color characteristic of the variety.
- With the drying of each leaf on the bulb, a dry, covering layer is formed from the juicy scales, which acquires a color characteristic of this variety.
To more accurately assess the readiness of the bulbs for harvesting, it is enough to dig up several plants and evaluate them based on external signs. The structure of the teeth of the dug up plants should be clearly visible. The covering layer must be durable, have a color characteristic of the variety and reliably protect the integrity of the bulb.
If it is not possible to wait for the bulbs to fully ripen, or there are unfavorable weather conditions, then I would dig up the garlic early. The green feather will provide the head with nutrition until it dries completely. The bulb will finish its life cycle in comfortable conditions and go into a dormant state.
Important! Long-term use of the same planting material leads to changes in varietal characteristics.
Which variety should I choose?
Unfortunately, garlic is most often planted on personal plots, the variety and duration of growth of which can only be determined conditionally. Planting material is obtained from the collected heads. Of course, with proper storage and preparation of seed material, you can get a good harvest. But over time, the bulbs become smaller and their quality deteriorates. The reason for this phenomenon may be a simple failure to observe crop rotation due to lack of space on the site. Bolting winter varieties independently produce valuable seed material in the form of bulbs.
Spring varieties bolt extremely rarely, which means they reproduce exclusively vegetatively, using their own cloves. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish seed reserves at least once every 5–6 years.
It’s easy to choose garlic varieties for the Central Black Earth Region:
- the varieties “Komsomolets”, “Alkor”, “Dobrynya”, “Lyubasha” are suitable for planting in the autumn;
- spring varieties garlic "Gulliver" and “Sochi 56” will require an average of about 95 days to fully ripen;
- for spring planting, the “Sail” variety is suitable, which ripens two weeks later;
- “Aleysky” garlic is a late-ripening spring variety, with a growth period of more than four months;
- The “Elenovsky” variety is very popular due to its high yield and ability to be stored well.
All these varieties are suitable for the territories of Kursk, Tambov, Lipetsk, Voronezh, and Belgorod regions. — zones of the Central Black Earth region. By purchasing varietal seed material not from the market, but from licensed points of sale, you can easily calculate the date of harvest of the bulbs.
