Time to harvest garlic: A step-by-step guide

Garlic is a very popular crop that finds a place in many gardens. Growing garlic is very simple, and anyone can do it. One of the most important things to keep in mind is knowing when to harvest it so that it stays fresh for a long time and is truly ripe. We’ll look at several indicators of garlic’s ripeness and how to harvest it properly. Technique is also very important. We won’t forget about proper garlic storage either.

Determining the harvest time is more complicated than with onions

Undoubtedly. With onions, you traditionally wait until the above-ground part of the plant has completely dried out. The size of the underground part can be checked simply by looking at it. With garlic, it’s more complicated. That’s because it’s well hidden underground. It should be harvested around the time when about half of the plant’s above-ground part has died off. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to test a single plant.

Photo: Pixabay

Test a single plant

That’s right. We simply dug away the soil around one of the plants and checked the size of the bulb itself.You can gauge readiness based on both the size of the garlic’s underground part and several other indicators. These include, above all, the shape of the bulb, which must be compact; the bulb should also be firm. You can try this method on multiple plants.

How to harvest garlic

You can use a variety of tools. We use a standard spade. Gently loosen the soil around the plant and then pull it out. Clean it by hand to remove any dirt, soil, and other debris. You can remove the outer skin—but ideally, remove no more than one layer. We don’t remove any. We definitely don’t wash the garlic, as it absorbs water, which would only lead to mold growth.

Short-term and long-term storage of garlic

If you want to enjoy the new garlic right away, or in a few days, you can simply cut off the bottom part without the green tops. We do this when we have just a few heads. We then store the garlic in a dry and relatively dark place at room temperature. The only important thing is that air circulates around the garlic. For long-term storage, it’s best to tie about 6 heads together and hang them in a place where air circulates but where they aren’t exposed to direct sunlight. After about a month, they’ll harden, and the leaves will turn brown and dry out completely. We then store only the heads.

Sources: Author, Meta, https://www.gardenbetty.com/the-trick-of-knowing-when-to-harvest-garlic/

Featured image and photogallery: Pixabay