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Many novice gardeners believe that the main thing is to follow the planting technology and the rules of agricultural technology when growing a crop such as garlic. But in fact, it is extremely important to correctly determine the time and harvest the summer garlic in time. When it needs to be removed from the garden, we will tell in this article.
The importance of timely cleaning
Summer garlic is characterized by friendly ripening, and therefore it must be harvested at a strictly set time: unripe bulbs will not have time to fully acquire the necessary taste and nutritional qualities, and overexposed ones, on the contrary, will lose them and also lose the necessary keeping quality.
You need to harvest spring garlic a little later than the one that was planted before winter: when you plant cloves in the spring, they need additional time to root, while winter varieties manage to do this in cold weather, and with the advent of heat, they begin to actively develop.
In addition, weather conditions also affect the timing of the ripening of the crop: when it is a rainy summer, the ripening process is much faster. Therefore, in addition to the standard calendar dates, be sure to take into account other factors and carefully monitor the culture: the garlic itself will tell you when to harvest it.
Video “How to store”
From the video you will learn how to store garlic until the next harvest.
ripening garlic
There are several visual signs that eloquently indicate that it is time to harvest the garlic:
- the lower leaves of the aerial part of the plants turn yellow;
- there is a massive lodging and drying out of garlic tops;
- the root neck dries up;
- the head is fully formed, teeth clearly appear in it, and it is covered with dense scales, which begin to dry out.
To accurately determine the time when the crop needs to be harvested from the beds, you will have to dig a few heads and conduct an inspection. If the signs persist for all the bulbs, then the harvest time has come.
When to clean
And yet, when is the best time to clean up?
As a rule, spring garlic has time to fully ripen between August 20 and September 10. But, as mentioned above, the collection time can shift both in one direction and in the other: a lot depends on the weather conditions that have fallen on this agricultural season.
Therefore, it is worth focusing on the indicated dates, but do not forget to carefully monitor the condition of the garlic garden.
In addition, there are several rules for correct harvesting:
- when you notice the first signs of ripening, try to partially free the bulbs from the soil so that they can prepare for the upcoming extraction;
- for a week for the proposed harvest, you need to stop watering so that the soil dries out;
- harvest on a dry, similar day, preferably in the morning or evening hours.
How to store
When the crop is harvested, the garlic heads must be dried, otherwise they will not be able to be stored for a long time. The best time to do this is while cleaning. If the day turned out to be dry, the garlic heads are simply laid out in an even layer right there in the garden. At night, you can cover the bulbs with polyethylene.
It takes about a crescent to dry completely, after which the culture can be removed for permanent storage.
Proper storage conditions will allow you to enjoy delicious and juicy garlic cloves all the long winter:
- the closet or pantry in which the vegetable will be stored must be well ventilated. This is to protect the crop from moisture and the development of pathogenic microorganisms;
- temperature fluctuations should not be allowed – it should be either low (2-4 degrees) or high enough (about +20), but always constant;
- last but not least, the way the heads are laid is also important – each of them must receive a sufficient amount of fresh air. It is best to tie the garlic bulbs into braids in the old fashioned way and hang them on the walls. And you can use a container that passes air well, for example, wicker baskets;
- if, for certain reasons, you are forced to store the crop in plastic or glass containers, try pouring the heads with any natural moisture absorber: for example, ordinary rock salt.
Follow these simple tips to keep your harvest safe and enjoy great flavor all winter long.
Video “Storage at home”
From the video you will learn how you can save garlic at home or in an apartment.
