Spring garlic ripens later than winter garlic. The timing of harvesting depends on the variety of the vegetable itself, as well as on the region of cultivation. In order to dig the heads out of the ground in a timely manner, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with when and how to harvest spring garlic.
signs of maturation
In order for spring garlic to be stored for as long as possible, it is necessary to remove it in a timely manner. You can determine the degree of maturity in several ways.
- Arrows fall to the ground. They don’t curl or straighten out.
- There is no formation of new arrows.
- At the base, the stem becomes yellow and dry.
These are all visual signs of external maturation. But, if this is not enough, you can dig out one head and conduct an additional check. Ripe garlic has the following characteristics:
- slices are well detached from each other;
- the husk is dry, when peeled, it emits a specific crunch;
- teeth are formed and correspond to the dimensions of this variety.
It should be borne in mind that the crop from the beds located on the south side is harvested about 10-12 days earlier than from those located on the north side of the site.
If the garlic meets all the above signs, then it is completely ready for harvesting.. In case of insufficient maturation, it is recommended to wait a few more days, and then re-check. If the vegetable is ripe, you can dig.
Cleaning time
As already mentioned, the timing of harvesting directly depends on the region of cultivation. So, in the southern regions, spring garlic begins to be harvested as early as late June or early July. In the middle lane, for example, in the Moscow region, garlic planted in spring is harvested at the end of July. In some cases, the end of harvesting is delayed until the beginning of August.
In the Urals, in Siberia, as well as in the northern regions, harvesting of summer garlic begins only at the end of August. This is due to a later landing. Sometimes, depending on weather conditions, such a vegetable is harvested only in September.
In order to determine the timing of harvesting, you need to know the following: it takes about 100 days for garlic to fully ripen. It is necessary to count from the date of planting, and then focus on weather conditions, as well as external signs of ripening.
In order for the harvest to be of high quality, to be stored for a long time and to have the best taste, many summer residents are guided by the lunar calendar. There are auspicious dates for harvesting garlic every year. For example, in 2021, the following are considered favorable:
- in July – from the 5th to the 7th, 15th, 16th, 25th, 26th and 27th.
- in August – from the 1st to the 3rd, 12th, 15th, 29th and 30th.
In July, it is undesirable to clean from 1 to 4, and in August from 17 to 28. It is noteworthy that these days refer exclusively to 2021. In 2022, you need to focus on the corresponding lunar calendar.
How to dig right?
In order for garlic to be stored for a long time, it is recommended to dig it out, following certain rules. They consist of several items.
- It is recommended to dig garlic out of dry soil. If it rained the day before, it is better to postpone the harvest. Of course, that 5-7 days before the proposed harvest, you need to stop watering.
- Beginning gardeners mistakenly use a shovel as their main tool for harvesting garlic. This is wrong, since it is recommended to use a pitchfork for this purpose. This is confirmed by several facts: forks additionally loosen the soil and do not damage vegetables.
- If for some reason you cannot use a pitchfork, then you need to be careful when digging with a shovel.. The process is to dig the ground, and pull out the heads themselves with your hands.
- In the process of harvesting the heads of garlic, it is most convenient to put them in buckets.
After the entire crop is harvested, it must be sorted into two piles: damaged and undamaged. Garlic from the last group should additionally be sorted out: discard the rotten cloves, and eat the damaged ones as soon as possible. Those that were damaged during the digging process will not be stored. In addition, they will begin to rot, and this process will gradually spread to the rest of the crop.
For harvesting, experienced gardeners recommend choosing mainly morning hours. This is necessary so that the crop can dry well in the sun before dusk. In the evening, the harvest must be brought into the barn or onto the terrace, even if it has not yet been cleared of the ground and not cut off.
It is important that it does not get wet by rain or dew, as these negative factors affect the storage capacity.
The remaining good harvest must be prepared for harvesting for winter storage. The most common is natural drying. To do this, garlic is not cut off from the tops, because with its help you need to weave it into special braids and hang it up. To make the ligaments stronger, it is recommended to use nylon threads as fixatives.
If you don’t want to tie in braids, then the algorithm of actions after harvesting will be as follows: the heads are cleaned as carefully as possible from the ground, the roots and stems are cut off, while leaving a margin of several centimeters on each side. If you cut directly near the head, then it can be damaged and, thus, start the process of decay.
There are several ways to dry cut garlic. In order to determine the most suitable, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with each of them in more detail.
- Drying outside. This method is considered natural. In order to dry the crop, it is necessary to decompose it in the area where the sun’s rays fall. Burlap or some other material is used as a lining. The disadvantage of this method is that it can only be done on sunny days. At the same time, you need to constantly monitor the crop so that it does not accidentally get wet by rain.
- Home drying – carried out in a dark, but ventilated room. The disadvantage of this method is the duration. The whole process takes 2 to 3 weeks.
- The modern method is electric drying. In order to implement it, you must first prepare the garlic. It is cleaned, washed in warm, but not hot water, cut into slices. They need to be laid on baking sheets and placed in an electric dryer. When chopped garlic dries, it is removed in special containers designed for storage.
In order for spring garlic to last as long as possible, the requirements must be met. First of all, they relate to the temperature regime. The optimum temperature for storing spring garlic is from +16 to +20 degrees Celsius. It is important to avoid sudden temperature changes, as this will start the process of decay. If stored at a higher temperature, then garlic can also be spoiled: cut into slices will become flabby, and whole ones will give arrows.
Another equally important indicator is air humidity. It should not exceed 80%. If this indicator goes to higher marks, the garlic will also begin to rot. It is recommended to store the vegetable in dark places, as regular exposure to light will lead to diseases.
Garlic has a specific and very strong aroma, so it is not customary to store it next to other vegetables or some kind of food.
There are time-tested ways to store garlic. One of the traditional ones is storage in glass jars. To do this, it is divided into cloves, and placed in 3-liter jars, tightly closed with plastic lids.
The rustic way of storing garlic is in flour. To do this, they take exactly the same glass jars, cover them about half with garlic cloves, and then add flour. It is believed that it is able to absorb excess moisture and prevent decay processes.
Some craftsmen prefer to store garlic in paraffin. Looking ahead, it should be said that the method is unconventional and requires some skill. The paraffin treatment process consists of several stages.
- You need to take a few large candles and melt them in a water bath.
- Take the garlic by the tail and completely dip it in paraffin. Hold over the container for a few seconds, waiting for the excess substance to drain.
- Then the garlic is laid out in rows on parchment paper.
The disadvantages of this method are the processing time.
Another proven storage method involves the use of salt. This method is identical in technique to storage in flour. The only difference is in the materials used. Some also prefer freezing garlic. To do this, it must be peeled, washed, dried with a paper towel and laid out in containers (plastic cups, special containers for freezing or plastic bags). You need to lay out in small portions so that in winter it is convenient to get it out and gradually defrost.
