Garlic is an easy-to-care, completely unpretentious crop. It is easy to plant, it is resistant to cold and drought. But for its preservation, it is very important to observe the conditions and dates when the harvesting of winter garlic and spring will be carried out. This is what we will consider in this article.
Garlic Harvest Time
Harvesting times depend on climate, weather conditions and planting method. In the steppe and forest-steppe zone, garlic acquires a maximum of useful substances by mid-July, and in the suburbs it should not be collected before the beginning of August. This garlic harvest time corresponds to a dry and moderately rainy summer. If the weather was very damp, it should be dug up for a week, or even two earlier. Otherwise, the bulbs will collect a lot of moisture from the soil and there will be a risk of decay.
Spring garlic, which is harvested in the second half of August - early September, is called summer. He does not shoot. Its maturity is determined by yellowed and laden foliage.
Winter garlic planted in autumn reaches the optimum maturity for harvesting almost a month earlier than spring. The approximate harvest time for winter garlic is the end of July.
What does ripe garlic look like?
Thus, garlic, like any plant, grows and develops individually, and it is most likely to determine the duration of its harvest by the appearance of the aerial parts. Everything in this matter is subject to logic: when the leaves faded and lost their green color, the plant reached the limit of its growth. Dead leaves are not capable of photosynthesis and maintenance of vital processes, which means that the bulb will no longer grow. The time has come when garlic is needed.
Wait a long time with the harvesting, too, is not worth it, because if the leaves fall and dry, this will affect the condition of the bulb. Its shell will lose strength, the cloves will fall off, such garlic will not lie until the next season.
That is, the best time when garlic is needed is the moment when the leaves of the aboveground part turn yellow by about half. Such garlic has already acquired all the beneficial substances, but has not yet begun to age.
An important sign of maturity is the revealed inflorescences. To use this indicator, it is advisable to leave flower stalks on several plants. When the bud ball begins to open and a brush of flowers appears, you can, without a doubt, dig out the garlic.
Remember that spring garlic does not form inflorescences, therefore, observing it, you can focus only on the leaves.
Harvesting garlic: what is needed for this?
Focusing on climate and weather, you should stop watering the garlic about a month before harvesting. Thanks to this, it will be stored longer without the risk of rot.
Please note that only fully ripened garlic is stored safely and for a long time. To achieve this, a week before the garlic is harvested, when the leaves have already begun to fade, you need to slightly release the bulbs from the ground. But the heads should not be sunburned in direct sunlight, so half-opened garlic should be slightly covered with hay or a textile tent.
Harvesting winter garlic and spring should be carried out only in sunny, dry weather, high humidity will damage the crop, even if it is then dried for a long time.
You can dig out the garlic with a shovel or pitchfork, the heads should remain intact, the leaves can not be cut off immediately. They are needed for the final ripening and saturation of the bulbs with minerals and vitamins. As for the roots, they do not play any role, they can be removed immediately or after drying.
Initial processing of garlic
Shaking off the ground, spread the garlic in a thin layer in the sun (if weather permits) or in a dry, well-ventilated area. On average, it will take 2-3 weeks to dry. The degree of readiness is determined by the drying of the leaves.
The dried heads are cleaned of the roots, leaves and debris of the earth, at the same time looking for rot, mold, fungus. Damaged bulbs are removed so that spoilage does not spread.
Storage
From time to time, garlic needs to be looked for rot or sprouting. The heads on which the young shoots appeared are unsuitable for long storage.
As a rule, garlic is stored unpeeled, in the heads or divided into cloves. There are two options for temperature conditions for storage:
- cold at + 1-3 degrees
- warm at + 17-19 degrees.
What and where to store garlic?
To avoid the appearance of rot, you can put the garlic in a wooden or metal container and cover it with sawdust, sand or salt. In the absence of air access, mold and mildew definitely will not appear. Such a box or a bucket of garlic should be taken to the cellar or the coolest place in the house, but not to the balcony - it may be too wet there.
In a room where it is very dry and relatively cool, you can store garlic in bunches and wreaths. They should be braided from freshly dug plants when the leaves have not yet lost their elasticity. But to use such wreaths in the kitchen for decoration is risky, because from high humidity they can begin to rot. It is good to store garlic at a humidity of 40-50%, if it is less, the cloves will dry out and deteriorate.
Mold does not develop in a vacuum, therefore, if it is supposed not to use any part of the garlic crop for a long time, it can be packaged in a sealed container, for example, a jar with a lid for preservation. So, the container is filled with the heads of garlic, tightly laid, a small candle is placed on top so that it does not interfere with closing the lid. And tightly close the jar with a metal lid. A burning candle will use up all the oxygen inside the can, and then the fire will go out. In this form, garlic can be stored for several years without the risk of decay or drying out.
Storage of peeled garlic
Harvested ripened garlic can be completely peeled and stored in vegetable oil for up to several months. If desired, oil is slightly salted. The cloves are put in a dry and clean dish, poured so that they are completely immersed in oil. In this form, garlic is stored in a refrigerator or cellar.