When to dig winter garlic

Garlic has been cultivated for thousands of years in different parts of our planet. This is not only a great addition to many dishes, but also a healthy product. It has a pronounced bactericidal effect. Thanks to these properties, many gardeners love and plant garlic on their plots. Caring for this culture is not very difficult. The most important thing is to plant garlic in time before winter and remove the heads from the garden. Now we will discuss when to dig up winter garlic and how to do it correctly.

Harvesting time for garlic

Those who have already grown garlic know well how important it is to harvest the planted garlic on time, not earlier and not later than the appointed time. Immature cloves will be too soft, and overripe ones will completely disintegrate right in the ground. In addition, such fruits do not store well in winter. If you miss the moment of full maturation, the root system may begin to grow again. This shows that you need to be very careful not to miss the moment when the garlic is fully ripe.

Many are interested in when to harvest winter garlic in different regions of Our Country. In central Our Country, winter garlic usually ripens closer to mid-July. Although, of course, a lot depends on the weather conditions. In the northern regions, the fruit ripening process lasts a couple of weeks longer and falls at the end of July – the beginning of August. Garlic harvesting time also directly depends on the characteristics of a particular variety.

Since it is difficult to predict the weather, you should not rely too much on specific dates. The most reliable way to determine when to dig up garlic is by looking at the appearance of the plant itself. A fully ripe fruit looks like this:

1. When removing arrows from plants, leave a few pieces. According to them, we will determine the ripening period. Such garlic has straight, hard arrows, and the inflorescences begin to crack.
2. In a mature plant, the lower leaves are yellow and drooping down.
3. You can also check the maturity by the fruits themselves. To do this, dig out one copy and analyze the skin and teeth. The pulp by that time should become hard and crispy, and the skin becomes much thinner and dries up. The teeth should be well separated from each other. And the shell will be easily removed from them.

Proper harvesting of winter garlic

It is necessary to remove winter garlic immediately after the appearance of the above signs. It is not worth delaying in this matter, since the fruits can be divided into separate cloves in a short time. Harvesting technology implies some nuances that must be followed exactly. Only by following all the rules, it will be possible to keep mature heads until spring.

So, the process of harvesting garlic from the garden is as follows:

1. Harvesting winter garlic is carried out in dry, warm weather. At the same time, it would be good to see the forecast for the next couple of days, since it is advisable to leave the garlic outside at this time.
2. It is better not to pull out the heads by hand, but to dig with a pitchfork. There is a chance that you will simply pluck the stem, and the fruit will remain in the ground. It is also important to dig the bulbs very carefully so as not to damage the head. Such fruits will spoil in the first place.
3. If weather conditions allow, you can leave the dug up garlic right in the garden. There it will quickly dry out under the influence of the sun and wind. You can leave the bulbs for both 2 and 5 days, depending on the weather. At night, it is better to cover the crop with suitable material. But, you can immediately remove the fruits in a barn or in the attic. The main thing is that the place is dry. There the heads are spread out and left until the final drying.

   

4. After a few days, you can begin to prepare the fruit for the winter. To do this, cut off the stem and roots, leaving only a small part (about 2–3 cm). For some, it is more convenient to store bulbs braided into braids. In this case, you do not need to cut the stems.
5. Next, proceed to the sorting of fruits. It is necessary to separate small and large heads. The former must be used immediately in cooking, as they are worse stored. Damaged and diseased fruits should also be selected. In addition, at this stage, seed material is selected for the next year.

Crop storage

After harvesting winter garlic, it is very important to create suitable conditions for storing fruits:

• bulbs do well at normal room temperature. Some store the heads in rooms with a temperature of +2°C. The main thing is that the temperature regime should not be lower than 0.
• the room in which the bulbs are stored must be dry. Humidity promotes the spread of fungi and rot. In such conditions, the fruits quickly lose their juiciness. Humidity in the room should not exceed 80%.
• in addition, you need to take care of good ventilation. This should be especially taken into account by those who store the heads in the cellar.

Also, everyone can choose how to store garlic. Here you can already choose according to your taste. Most often, gardeners choose the following methods:

• braided wreaths or braids. Usually they are braided on a wire or rope. Some simplify the task by simply tying 10-20 bulbs into one bunch. Now garlic is hung in the storage room or in your kitchen.
• those who grow a large amount of garlic will find it more convenient to store the crop in special nets for vegetables. You can also use unnecessary nylon tights. They can be laid out indoors or hung on the walls.

  

• and, of course, you can store the bulbs in any boxes (cardboard or wooden). The main thing is that holes are made in them for better air circulation. The ideal fixture in this case is a wicker basket.

Conclusion

This article helped you figure out when to harvest winter garlic. As you can see, it is very important to be observant and then we will definitely not miss this important moment. It is the timely harvesting that will allow the heads to be stored as long as possible throughout the winter. As you know, winter garlic is stored much less than spring garlic, but still, if you follow the storage rules, you can use the fruits of your labor all winter.