Garlic....how do you tell...?

Question

when it is ready to harvest? Mine is starting to bloom. Thanks for all help :)

Answer 1

From Utah State University:

"Harvest and Storage
Harvest garlic when the tops begin to yellow and fall over, before they are completely dry. Carefully lift the bulbs with a spade or garden fork. Over mature bulbs do not store well. Place the entire plant in a shady warm spot to dry for 1-2 weeks. When fully cured the garlic skins should be papery and the roots dry. Carefully remove any excess soil from the roots and bulbs. Bruising the bulbs leads to rapid deterioration. Mature bulbs may be braided into garlic ropes or stored in open meshed sacks. For those bulbs stored in sacks, cut off the leaves about 1-2 inches above the bulb. Store garlic in cool (40F), dry conditions. Avoid freezing. The largest, best-formed bulbs may be used for the next fall planting."

Additional info from Garden Action:

"Harvest Garlic
Garlic is normally ready for harvesting when most of the foliage has turned yellowy-brown - this will be around mid-August time. The problem with harvesting garlic is knowing when they are ripe - harvest too early and the bulbs will be small, harvest too late and the bulb will have split making harvest difficult and the cloves of low quality (they will have commence their growing cycle for next year).

Problems will occur mainly in wet summers - the leaves may only have started to turn yellow but if the garlic is left in wet ground at this stage, the bulbs will very quickly become diseased. For this reason a second method is needed to determine what stage they have reached. If the weather is wet in early August, pull up one bulb and see how many sheaths (very thin papery layers around the bulb) you can peel off the bulb - if there are only three, harvest the bulbs, if there are four or more, wait another two weeks or until most of the leaves have turned brown."

Good luck and good eating!

Answer 2

Wait until the leaves are beginning to become yellow, this is the best time to harvest. Clean the bulbs well of soil, and hang them with the (brown) leaves attached the right way up, first a few days in full sunshine, then in a dry room, where you can plug off whatever and whenever you need some. They will stay juicy like that for well over a year.

Answer 3

I think if they are starting to bloom and turning brown/yellow, you need to harvest now. Don't wait.

Answer 4

I stay in a small, rural North Alabama city - nestled in a valley contained in the Appalachian foothills. The solar would not upward push above the ridgeline before 8am. Plus, my holiday is all of 10 minutes and that includes dropping my daughter off in college. i'm effective this has no bearing in any respect on the concern.... I basically needed to rub it in to all of us available who has to spend an hour on the parkway.

Answer 5

perfect, it's going to seed now, harvest it and dry the seeds for next year.

Answer 6

Just wright.

Blooms are like seed can be reused to plant next crop.