The people have a tradition of picking garlic from the garden immediately after the Orthodox holiday of Peter and Paul – July 12. This is not entirely correct, because growing different varieties involves different harvesting times, and besides, harvesting winter garlic will depend on weather conditions. Some varieties need to be dug well in advance of the indicated date, while others may not yet be ripe.
When to clean
If your beds are properly cared for and you water your garlic on time, then the first sign of ripeness will be the yellowing of the lower leaves. As a rule, in Central Our Country, including the Leningrad region, this time comes around mid-July or early August. But the exact timing of digging the heads will still depend on the weather – the cultivation of garlic may be delayed if this season was a dry, hot summer. On average, you can collect the culture starting from July 20th, and it is better to finish harvesting before August 1st. You should not stubbornly continue growing already ripe garlic, no matter what care you give it, the heads will not become bigger, and the taste, useful properties or keeping quality will definitely be lost.
It is necessary to dig up the bulbs when the yellowing of the upper leaves of the garlic tops begins, the drying of the lower ones. The “correct” garlic has a dense head, while the teeth are easily separated, but do not fall apart, and the husk covering them is removed without much effort.
If you violate the harvesting deadlines and continue growing, you will inevitably encounter certain troubles:
- no matter what care is provided to the culture, overripe garlic begins to take root, respectively, the scales are destroyed, and the heads themselves noticeably lose their keeping quality;
- or vice versa, if you dig up bulbs that are not yet ripe, the garlic cloves will be loose, soft and tasteless. Care and high-quality storage of such a vegetable will not help him regain the necessary qualities.
Those heads that cover at least three layers of outer scales are well stored. It is on how ripe the culture is and the duration of its storage will depend, therefore, before collecting the entire winter garlic bed, be sure to check several bulbs: for this you need to select several plants, move the earth away from the head and consider the condition of the scales. If it is dense, the cultivation is finished, and the garlic can be harvested. First you need to remove the arrows, then we dig the plant, pull it out of the ground and carefully shake it off, after which the heads are laid on a flat surface to dry. You can also dry the heads completely in a warm room, the whole process can take about two weeks. Then the bulbs are thoroughly cleaned of leaves and stems, leaving a small stump from the aerial part of the shoot. It is also important to remove long roots, but in such a way that you do not inadvertently damage the root bottom, then additional care for the stored winter garlic is not required.
Video “Harvesting”
From the video you will learn how to harvest garlic.
How to dig
When you have decided that the cultivation is really over and the garlic needs to be harvested, try to choose a dry, warm, fine day without precipitation for this. The fact is that the garlic heads should not be wet, this will delay the drying process and negatively affect the shelf life of the vegetable.
Pulling garlic with your hands is not easy enough: its root system is well developed and goes quite deep. Therefore, you can not do without digging: this can be done with a conventional shovel.
The head freed from the ground is shaken several times, removing adhering earthen clods, and laid out on a dry, even surface for drying. Until the harvest is over. The following manipulations will be needed after final drying: then the heads will need to be formed into bundles or placed in breathable containers and sent for permanent storage.
Even your kitchen can serve as such a place: garlic bundles look quite decorative and can become a good and colorful interior decoration. In addition, you will immediately notice if the heads need care.
Storage Rules
But best of all, the winter garlic that you plan to eat feels in closets, where the air temperature does not rise above a few degrees. Care of the harvested crop is to ensure the desired temperature, ensure proper ventilation, as well as the right choice of containers. It is best to store the heads in wicker baskets or in bunches to allow air to reach each bulb.
The cultivation of this crop in our country is widespread. As you can see, it is important for a gardener not only to properly plant and care for the crop, the most thorough cultivation can come to naught if you choose the wrong period when to harvest winter garlic. Be attentive to your beds, and they will surely delight you with a rich harvest and delicious garlic!
Video “Storage”
From the video you will learn how to store garlic.
Author: Svetlana Galitsina
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