Content
Garlic has been cultivated for thousands of years in different parts of our planet. It is not only a great addition to many dishes, but also a healthy product. It has a pronounced bactericidal effect. Thanks to these properties, many gardeners love and plant garlic on their plots. Caring for this culture is not very difficult. The most important thing is to plant the garlic on 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 right.
Terms of harvesting garlic
Those who have already grown garlic know well how important it is to collect the 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 maturity, the root system can 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 are interested in when to harvest winter garlic in different regions of Russia. In central Russia, winter garlic usually ripens closer to mid-July. Although, of course, a lot depends on the weather conditions. In the northern regions, the fruit ripening process lasts a couple of weeks longer and falls at the end of July - beginning of August. Garlic harvest time also directly depends on the characteristics of a particular variety.
Since it is difficult to predict the weather, you should not rely too much on specific dates. It is most reliable to determine when dig up the garlic by the appearance of the plant itself. A fully ripe fruit looks like this:
- When removing arrows from plants, you should leave a few pieces. We will use them to determine the ripening period. Such garlic has straight, hard arrows, and the inflorescences begin to crack.
- In a mature plant, the lower leaves are yellow and droop down.
- You can also check maturity by looking at the fruit itself. To do this, dig up one specimen and analyze the skin and teeth. By that time, the pulp should have become firm and crispy, and the skin becomes significantly thinner and dry. The teeth should be well separated from each other. And the shell from them will be removed without difficulty.
Proper harvesting of winter garlic
It is necessary to remove winter garlic immediately after the appearance of the above signs. You should not hesitate in this matter, since the fruits can divide into separate cloves in a short time. Harvesting technology implies some nuances that must be followed exactly. 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:
- Harvesting of winter garlic is carried out 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 on the street at this time.
- It is better not to pull the heads out by hand, but to dig them out with a fork. There is a chance that you will simply pick 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 in the first place.
- If weather conditions permit, you can leave the dug garlic right in the garden. There it will dry out quickly under the influence of the sun and wind. You can leave the bulbs for either 2 or 5 days, depending on the weather.It is better to cover the crop with suitable material at night. But, you can immediately remove the fruits in the barn or in the attic. The main thing is that the place is dry. There the heads are spread out and left to dry completely.
- After a few days, you can start preparing the fruits for wintering. To do this, cut the stem and roots, leaving only a small part (about 2-3 cm). Some people find it more convenient to store the bulbs in braids. In this case, you do not need to cut the stems.
- Next, they start sorting the fruits. It is necessary to separate the small and large heads. The former should be used immediately in food preparation, as they are less well stored. Also, damaged and diseased fruits should be selected. In addition, at this stage, seed 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 store heads in rooms with a temperature of + 2 ° C. The main thing is that the temperature regime is not 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 the 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. Usually they are braided with wire or rope. Some people make it easier by simply tying 10-20 bulbs into one bunch. Now the garlic is hung in a storage room or in your kitchen.
- for those who grow large amounts 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 laid out 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 holes are 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 moment. It is the timely harvesting that will allow the heads to be stored 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 storage is possible all winter enjoy the fruits of your labor.
