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Why you can't plant garlic after strawberries: observations from those who have seen this for themselves
02.01.2023 04:30
Updated: 13.04.2023 05:10
Planting garlic after strawberries is a popular technique practiced by many gardeners.
Garlic repels pests and suppresses the development of diseases on strawberries.
Planting these two crops together allows you to save space in the garden while still getting a decent harvest.
But some summer residents, having tried this combination once, give it up forever.
Below are their observations, which will help beginners learn from others' experiences about the shortcomings of the method.
Observation one: problems with watering
In spring and early summer, everything goes well – strawberries and garlic need moisture, so they can be watered. But closer to mid-summer, the situation changes.
Garlic enters the ripening stage, and at this time it cannot be watered, as the heads will begin to rot and will not store well.
At the same time, strawberries are recovering from fruiting, and flower buds are being laid for the next year. If it is a remontant variety, it continues to bear fruit. Berry bushes need abundant watering. Something has to be sacrificed. Either garlic or the future strawberry harvest.
Observation two: problems with feeding
While the berries are setting and filling out on the strawberry, the garlic is actively building up green mass. It needs nitrogen fertilizers, and the berry bushes need potassium fertilizers. If the strawberry gets a lot of nitrogen at this time, the berries will grow tasteless. If the garlic gets little nitrogen, this will affect the yield, since it will not be able to build up a good leaf apparatus.
While garlic is entering the ripening phase, it should not only not be watered, but also not fed. And strawberries need good feeding, as this is the key to abundant fruiting next year.
Observation three: root damage
In midsummer, it is time to harvest garlic. It cannot be pulled out, as the heads do not store well after such harvesting. The roots hold tightly to the soil, so when pulled out, the bottom is damaged, and this reduces the shelf life.
Garlic has to be dug up with a shovel, which damages the strawberry roots. And during this period, it should stock up on nutrients as much as possible and get plenty of water. And damage to the roots disrupts their absorption capabilities.
Based on these observations, we can conclude that planting these two crops together has significant drawbacks. When can you resort to this agricultural technique? If you do not devote time to fertilizing and watering, and the garden "grows itself", such a combination will be an excellent option. You should also initially plant strawberries at a sufficient distance so that there is enough space between the rows for garlic.
