The time is approaching when many summer residents are thinking about planting winter crops – we are talking, of course, about onions and garlic.
If you want to get a decent harvest, take a responsible approach to choosing a place for these plants.
For example, it is not worth growing these crops in the areas mentioned below - you will waste your energy.
After onion crops
Onions and garlic have no place where they were grown before. You must be sure that the previous "residents" did not suffer from diseases such as downy mildew, fusarium and gray mold.
Sometimes there is no alternative – in this case the soil should be fertilized and sown with green manure. It is recommended to carry out double sowing of green manure, for example, first plant vetch and then a mixture of green manure.
But the beds left after legumes (peas, beans), zucchini and cucumbers will come in handy.
After fennel and basil
Continuing with the previous point: fennel and basil are not suitable as predecessors for onions and garlic, since they release special substances that inhibit the growth of cultivated plants.
A place that floods in the spring
If in the spring or during a thaw the area where onions and garlic are growing is flooded, the crops will most likely not survive the winter.
The plants in question prefer drought rather than excess water.
If the soil is too wet and there are no other options for planting, you should take measures to drain the water. You can dig ditches, install drainage pipes, or create small raised beds.
In the shadows
If you decide to take a risk and plant onions and garlic in areas where shade reigns, prepare means of combating downy mildew in advance - they will come in handy.
