When and how to properly harvest winter garlic

Garlic is a frequent guest on the table, especially in the autumn-winter period. Having a pungent taste and strong smell, garlic is an essential ingredient in meat dishes, sauces and salads. Garlic is winter and spring.

It is very simple to distinguish these varieties from each other - there are 5-6 cloves in the head of winter garlic, and in the center there is a false stem, in the head of spring garlic there are many cloves (10-20 pieces), a false stem is missing.

Another major difference in planting time of these vegetables. Winter garlic is planted at the end of autumn, closer to winter, and spring - no later than mid-spring. Let's talk more about when to pick garlic planted in the fall.

When to clean

With the planting of winter garlic, many questions do not arise - it is planted closer to the beginning of winter. It is much more important to correctly determine the exact date of his digging.

If the plant is overripe, it is no longer subject to storage, that is, it must be eaten quickly or found for other use, otherwise it will deteriorate. Determination of overripe garlic is very simple:

1. When pressed on the bulb, it becomes soft and loose;
2. When digging out of the ground, the bulb crumbles into individual teeth or the teeth are easily separated from the false stem;

Terms and signs

Basically, about 100 calendar days are enough for garlic to ripen. This period falls on the middle of the summer, most often from July 20 to August 1.

A more accurate date depends on how hot the summer was and what climate zone you are in. Let's look at the signs of ripening, which will make it clear when it is time to start harvesting winter garlic:

1. Lower 3-4 leaves on the stem began to dry.
2. Arrows of garlic straightened, and garlic inflorescences fully opened. If the garlic is not streaked, then the ripening of its stem will be prompted by the softening of the stem of the stem or the full yellowing of the leaves.
3. Having dug a couple of pieces to check, you will see that the scales of the head are strong, of a violet-purple hue.

What does the lunar calendar say

Some agronomists prefer to focus not only on the external signs of ripeness of garlic. They take as an assistant the lunar calendar.

It is proved that the moon is an assistant in agrarian affairs, listening to the biorhythms of nature, you can harvest the garlic without delay, while maintaining its quality for a long time.

So, ahead of us is the garlic harvesting, let's find out when to collect winter garlic according to the lunar calendar:

• In July 2018, the best days to gather from the garden will be: 5-7, 15-16, 19-20, 23-24 numbers.
• In August 2018, it is best to collect 1-3, 11-12, 15-16, 29-30 numbers.

However, it is not enough just to dig out winter garlic. It is necessary to carry out with him some manipulations, again with the help of the lunar calendar, namely:

• Loosening the land around winter garlic. Before harvesting it is necessary to loosen and clear the ground around the heads of garlic. This should be done about 25 days before digging. According to the lunar calendar in 2018, this is July 3, 4, 8, 30 and 31;
• Mandatory tie shooter. This is done so that the vitality of the vegetable is redirected directly to the bulbs themselves. After tying shoots of garlic, the tops will not grow, preventing the growth of new shoots. For this procedure, the lunar calendar highlights the following dates - July 19-20.
• Breaking the arrows of garlic. Approximately 30 days before the start of the planned harvest, the agronomists stop watering the vegetable - this is done to prevent rotting in the soil, at the same time breaking off the arrows to the garlic. Leave only a few exemplary arrows. In 2018, the following days are suitable for this - July 1, 2, 10.

How to dig

If you have determined that your vegetable in the garden has ripened, and the lunar calendar suggested the day when digging winter garlic, pay attention to the weather outside the window. It must be dry and sunny.

Dig the garlic with a spade or pitchfork. The latter help to do this more accurately and avoid injury to the heads. Garlic podkapyvayut and left to dry in the garden. Foliage is not necessary to cut. While drying, garlic will take nutrients from the tops. Drying time on the bed is approximately 5 days. However, if the weather is bad outside, it is not a reason to postpone digging garlic.

In this case, it is dug, but dried in a dry room with good ventilation.Drying time - 7-10 days.

Proper storage after harvest

After digging garlic, followed by drying in the sun, it should be gently brushed off the clods of earth and cut off the roots, leaving a length of 3-5 mm. The tops and leaves are pruned to a length of about 10 mm.

For successful long-term storage of garlic, you should know that light, elevated humidity and temperature will not keep garlic for a long time. Therefore, we must take care to create optimal conditions conducive to long-term storage of garlic:

• Humidity. In order not to let germinate, or vice versa, to rot the harvest, it is necessary to maintain humidity at the level of 50-80%.
• Temperature. Garlic does not tolerate high temperatures. Better to be cooler. 3-5 ° C will be sufficient.
• Lighting and air. Keep it in a dark or dark place. Better in a package of several pieces.It can be stored in baskets, boxes, in the form of braids or just a few pieces connected and suspended from the ceiling.

After reading the article, you learned that for the successful and long-term storage of garlic an important role is played by the correct definition of terms when digging winter garlic. This will help the lunar calendar, which monitors the biorhythms of nature.