When is the best time and how to properly harvest garlic in 2024 and top 7 storage methods

In order for vegetables grown in a personal plot to survive until spring and not lose their taste, you need to learn how and when to harvest correctly. If the work is carried out correctly and on time, garlic, without which not a single second dish is complete, will remain fresh until the first warm days. When it is necessary to harvest garlic in 2024 depends on the climate of the growing region and the variety of the spicy vegetable.

How to determine the ripeness of garlic

When determining the timing of garlic harvest, gardeners are guided by several signs. The most informative is the appearance. In order to find out whether a vegetable is fully ripe or not, you need to dig several heads out of the ground in different places.

Characteristic signs of ripeness:

1. Fully formed teeth that are easily separated from each other.
2. At the base, the garlic stalk is hard and dry.
3. Thin neck.
4. The shell of the onion is thin, but at the same time it firmly holds all the cloves.
5. The garlic shell is dried and separates without problems, making a rustling sound.

If the time to choose garlic has not yet come, the cloves are separated from each other with great difficulty, and the neck is very thick. In addition, the film covering the teeth cannot be removed, even if you make an effort. This vegetable does not store well in winter, and may not sprout when planted.

If the garlic is overripe, its cloves crumble right in your hands, and the shell cracks or rots. To harvest such a crop, you will have to sift the soil, selecting each clove separately.

Winter and spring varieties of garlic are grown in the garden beds of domestic summer residents. Each variety has its own characteristic signs indicating the ripeness of the vegetable:

1. When harvesting winter garlic, ripeness is determined by the arrows, paying attention to the airy bulbs that form at their ends. If there are already cracks in the shell and the bulb itself is clearly visible, you need to start digging up the crop.
2. In the case of the summer variety, the leaves serve as a guide. In ripe garlic, they are still green in the center, and the lower ones are yellowed.

Timing of crop harvest depending on regions and climatic conditions

Since the climate is different in different areas, the timing of harvesting is also different. Approximate ripening time for garlic by region:

1. Southern regions - work is carried out from July 10 to July 20.
2. Middle zone - they dig vegetables in the last ten days of July.
3. Moscow region - they start cleaning in late July or early August.
4. Leningrad region - collection is carried out in the first ten days of August.
5. Ural and Siberia - work will begin on August 20.

Harvesting dates are approximate, since the weather is different every year and makes its own adjustments to the process of digging up garlic.

Subtleties of harvesting garlic according to the lunar calendar

When determining the timing of harvesting, many gardeners rely on the recommendations of the lunar calendar, which indicates favorable and unfavorable dates.

In July

In the second month of summer, residents of the southern regions and the middle zone begin to harvest. For them, July 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 are considered favorable days in 2024.

In August

Gardeners and farmers of the Moscow region and Leningrad region, as well as some areas of the middle zone, begin harvesting in August. It is recommended to start work on the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th.

In September

Farmers and summer residents in the northern regions begin harvesting this vegetable in the first month of autumn. Suitable numbers according to the lunar calendar are 8, 9, 16, 21, 25, 26.

Collecting plants depending on variety

The timing and characteristics of harvesting a crop from a garden bed depend on its variety. Both winter and spring garlic are grown on the plots of domestic gardeners.

Winter

Garlic planted before winter begins to be harvested from the garden from mid to late July, depending on the climate of the growing region. But if early varieties are grown, their ripening period does not exceed 3 months. Late varieties of winter vegetables are ready for digging after 4 months.

Therefore, in order to accurately determine the start date of work, these numbers are added to the disembarkation date.

Another criterion that affects the start time of work is the number of head fractions. As a rule, garlic, consisting of one large clove, ripens earlier than multi-fraction garlic. Next, plants with small teeth are ready for harvesting, and at the very end, specimens with large teeth.

Spring

This garlic is planted in the spring. It is characterized by rapid ripening and long shelf life, provided that it is collected on time. An unripe vegetable loses its nutritional value, and an overripe vegetable does not store well. The spring variety of garlic is harvested a little later than the winter variety. This is due to the fact that the vegetable needs time to take root after planting in the spring. Garlic planted before winter has time to do this before the onset of cold weather.

How to dig up garlic correctly

Experienced summer residents prepare for the procedure of digging garlic in advance, stopping irrigating the beds with the plant a month before the expected date. If it is necessary to slightly speed up the process of vegetable ripening, a week before the start of work, the soil is raked away from the heads, thereby giving access to sunlight and air.

It is recommended to dig up garlic heads in dry and sunny weather; if you harvest during the rain, such specimens will not be stored well and will begin to rot before the New Year. The harvesting process is carried out according to the following algorithm:

1. Disinfect garden tools - a shovel or a pitchfork.
2. The garlic is carefully dug up and taken out along with the stems and leaves. This is necessary so that the stems give the nutrients contained in them to the heads.
3. The remaining soil is shaken off and the crop is laid out in one layer under a canopy. It is important that the vegetable is not exposed to direct sunlight or rain.
4. The roots of the crop are either shortened immediately, or this is done when it dries out a little (after 2-3 weeks).
5. To dry, some gardeners tie the garlic into bunches and hang it under the roof of a barn or other outbuilding.

It is important to remember that the vegetable is brought indoors at night so that it does not become saturated with moisture.

Preparing crops for long-term storage

It is necessary to start preparing vegetables for long-term storage only after they are completely dry. When starting work, first of all, the storage location and period are determined. The entire harvest is sorted into 3 categories:

• for planting next season;
• for long-term storage;
• for use in the near future.

As a rule, the largest specimens with mature teeth are used for planting before winter. Small and damaged heads are set aside for immediate cooking. If traces of mold or rot are noticed on the garlic, it is thrown away; storage together with healthy specimens will lead to contamination of the entire crop.

The next stage of preparation is pruning.The length of the roots depends on the purpose for which the vegetable is planned to be used. If long-term storage is required, leave 3 to 5 mm. In case of upcoming planting, a root length of 5 to 10 mm is required. For pruning, use a sharp knife or pruning shears. The main thing is not to damage the bottom of the onion when carrying out work, as this will lead to a reduction in shelf life.

The stems are also cut, their length depends on the chosen storage method. If you plan to hang garlic from the ceiling, leave longer stems. The cuts are made either straight or oblique; this does not affect the duration of storage.

After finishing the work, the garlic is sent to a cool room with good ventilation for another 2 weeks, and after that it is stored.

Boxes

Wooden or plastic boxes are used to store the harvest. Place the heads in them in a layer of no more than 15 cm and put them in a cool room where there is no access to light. The recommended temperature is from 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, humidity should not exceed 65%.

Grids

The cut heads are placed in fine mesh nets and hung from the ceiling. They also use pillowcases for storage, into which onion peels are poured to eliminate excess moisture.

In salt

If the humidity in the room exceeds the recommended standards, a method of storing crops using salt is suitable. A 2 cm layer of salt is poured onto the bottom of the container (box, box or glass jar). Next, garlic is placed, and all voids are also covered with salt. The last layer is at the very top. This method helps to get rid of moisture and extend the shelf life of the crop.

Instead of salt, flour or wood ash is also used.

In paraffin

Paraffin is heated in a water bath until liquid and the heads are dipped in it.As soon as they dry, put them in a box or box and take them to the cellar.

In a glass container

The jars are first sterilized and dried. It is better to take 2 or 3 liter containers. A layer of flour is poured onto the bottom and garlic is laid out, simultaneously filling in all the voids. Place flour again on the very top and cover with a nylon lid. Store in a cellar or on a glassed-in loggia.

In the ground

Garlic is stored in soil without loss of taste until spring. To do this, the crop is packaged in plastic bags and covered with newspaper in 2 or 3 layers. They are buried in the ground to a depth of about 50 cm, and the top is insulated with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

Braiding

For this method, dried stems are not cut off at the preparation stage. They are woven together into a braid; the recommended number in one braid is 15 pieces. To strengthen it, use twine, make a loop at the end, which is then attached to the ceiling.

Should I remove the arrows?

Only winter garlic produces shoots; if they are not removed, they will draw all the nutrients from the heads. However, sometimes gardeners leave a few pieces to guide them when it is necessary to start harvesting. If a decision is made to cut off the arrows, do so when they begin to curl into a spiral.

If the garlic is overripe, what should I do?

If the vegetable is overripe and crumbles into cloves in the ground, sift the soil to remove them. This garlic is not left for winter storage and is primarily used in cooking.

Possible mistakes

If a summer resident has recently started growing garlic, he makes mistakes:

1. Keeps plants in the ground.
2. Conducts harvesting in wet weather.
3. Places damaged copies for storage.
4. Does not adhere to recommendations for storage conditions.

To make a supply of aromatic vegetables for the whole winter and preserve the harvest, you need to study the recommended timing for harvesting garlic and the requirements for its storage.