Garlic has been grown for thousands of years in different parts of our planet. This is not only an excellent addition to many dishes, but also a healthy product. It has a pronounced bactericidal effect. Thanks to these properties, many gardeners love garlic and plant it in their plots. Caring for this crop 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.
Garlic harvesting time
Those who have already grown garlic know well how important it is to harvest planted garlic on time, not earlier and not later than the appointed time. Unripe cloves will be too soft, and overripe ones will completely disintegrate right in the ground. In addition, such fruits are poorly stored 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 people are interested in when to harvest winter garlic in different regions of Russia. In central Russia, winter garlic usually ripens towards mid-July. Although, of course, a lot depends on weather conditions. In the northern regions, the process of fruit ripening lasts a couple of weeks longer and occurs at the end of July - beginning of August. Garlic harvest time also directly depends on the characteristics of a particular variety.
Since the weather is difficult to predict, you shouldn’t rely too much on specific dates. It is best to determine when dig up garlic by the appearance of the plant itself. A fully ripe fruit looks like this:
- At removing arrows from plants, you should leave a few pieces. We will use them to determine the ripening period. This type of garlic has straight, hard arrows, and the inflorescences begin to crack.
- In a mature plant, the lower leaves are yellow and drooping.
- You can also check the ripeness by looking at the fruits themselves. To do this, dig up one specimen and analyze the skin and teeth. By that time, the pulp should become hard and crispy, and the skin should become significantly thinner and dry. The teeth should be well separated from each other. And the shell will be removed from them without difficulty.
Proper harvesting of winter garlic
Winter garlic must be harvested immediately after the above signs appear. You should not hesitate in this matter, since the fruits can be divided into individual cloves in a short time. Harvesting technology involves some nuances that must be strictly followed. Only by following all the rules will it be possible to preserve mature heads until spring.
So, the process of harvesting garlic from the garden is as follows:
- Winter garlic is harvested in dry, warm weather. At the same time, it would be good to look at the forecast for the next couple of days, since it is advisable to leave the garlic outside during this time.
- It is better not to pull out the heads by hand, but to dig them out with a fork. There is a chance that you will simply tear off 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 first.
- If weather conditions permit, you can leave the dug garlic directly in the garden bed. There it will dry quickly under the influence of the sun and wind. You can leave the bulbs for either 2 or 5 days, depending on the weather. At night, it is better to cover the crop with suitable material. But, you can immediately put the fruits in the barn or attic. The main thing is that the place is dry. There the heads are spread out and left until completely dry.
- After a few days, you can begin preparing the fruits for the winter. To do this, cut off the stem and roots, leaving only a small part (about 2–3 cm). Some people find it more convenient to store bulbs braided. In this case, there is no need to trim the stems.
- Next, they begin to sort the fruits. It is necessary to separate the small and large heads. The former must be used immediately in cooking, as they store less well. Damaged and diseased fruits should also be selected. In addition, at this stage, seed material is selected for the next year.
Harvest storage
After harvesting winter garlic, it is very important to create suitable conditions for storage fruits:
- The bulbs do well at normal room temperature. Some people store heads in rooms with a temperature of +2°C. The main thing is that the temperature 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.The humidity in the room should be no higher than 80%.
- In addition, you need to take care of good ventilation. This should be especially taken into account by those who store 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. They are usually braided with wire or rope. Some people simplify the task by simply tying 10-20 bulbs into one bunch. Now they hang garlic in a storage room or in their kitchen.
- For those who grow large quantities of garlic, it will be more convenient to store the crop in special nets for vegetables. You can also use unnecessary nylon tights. They can be either placed 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 there are holes made in them for better air circulation. The ideal device 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 point. It is timely harvesting that will allow the heads to be stored for as long as possible throughout the winter. As you know, winter garlic is stored much less than spring garlic, but still, subject to the rules Can be stored all winter enjoy the fruits of your labor.
