When to harvest garlic in 2022: terms and rules, top 7 storage methods

In order for vegetables grown in the garden to be preserved until spring and not lose their taste, you need to know how and when to harvest correctly. If the work is carried out correctly and on time, garlic, without which not a single second dish can do, will remain fresh until the first warm days. When to harvest garlic in 2022 depends on the climate of the growing region and the type of spicy vegetable.

How to determine the maturity of garlic

When determining the timing of garlic harvesting, 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 separate easily from each other.
2. At the base of the garlic stalk is hard and dry.
3. Thin neck.
4. The onion shell is thin, but it holds all the cloves firmly.
5. The garlic shell is dried and easily separated, while making a rustling sound.

In the event that 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 is not removed, even if you make an effort. Such a vegetable is poorly stored in winter, and may not sprout when planted.

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

Winter and spring types of garlic are grown in the beds of domestic summer residents. Each variety has its own characteristics that indicate the ripeness of the vegetable:

1. When harvesting winter garlic, ripeness is determined by the arrows, paying attention to the air bulbs that form at their ends. In the event that there are already cracks on the shell, and the bulb itself is clearly visible, it is necessary 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.

Crop harvest time depending on regions and climatic conditions

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

1. Southern regions - work is carried out from July 10 to July 20.
2. Middle band - they dig a vegetable in the last ten days of July.
3. Moscow region - cleaning begins in late July or early August.
4. Leningrad region - collection is carried out in the first decade of August.
5. Urals and Siberia - start work from August 20.

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

The subtleties of harvesting garlic according to the lunar calendar

When determining the timing of harvesting, many gardeners are guided by the recommendations of the lunar calendar, where favorable and unfavorable dates are indicated.

In July

In the second summer month, residents of the southern regions and the middle lane begin to harvest. For them, July 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 are considered auspicious days in 2022.

In August

Gardeners and farmers of the Moscow region and the Leningrad region, as well as some areas of the middle lane, start 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 of the northern regions start 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 features of harvesting crops from the garden 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, then their ripening period does not exceed 3 months.Late varieties of winter vegetable are ready to be dug up in 4 months.

Therefore, to accurately determine the date of commencement of work, add these numbers to the date of disembarkation.

Another criterion that affects the timing of the start 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 to be harvested, and at the very end specimens with large teeth.

Spring

Such garlic is planted in the spring. It is characterized by friendly maturation and long-term keeping quality, provided that it is harvested on time. An unripe vegetable loses its nutritional value, and an overcooked vegetable is poorly stored. The spring variety of garlic is harvested a little later than the winter one.This is due to the fact that the vegetable needs time to take root after spring planting. Garlic planted before winter manages to do this before the onset of cold weather.

In most cases, if the weather does not bring surprises, the summer variety of the plant is ready for harvest from August 20th. Carry out work until September 10. In the case of rainy and cold summers, these dates are slightly shifted.

How to properly dig garlic

Experienced summer residents prepare for the garlic digging procedure in advance, a month before the expected date, stopping irrigation of the beds with the plant. If necessary, slightly speed up the process of ripening the vegetable a week before the start of work, they rake the earth from the heads, thereby giving access to the sun's rays and air.

It is recommended to dig up heads of garlic in dry and sunny weather, if harvesting during 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. Garlic is carefully dug up and taken out along with the stems and leaves. This is necessary so that the stems give the nutrients in them to the heads.
3. The rest of the earth 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 and rain.
4. The roots of the culture are either shortened immediately, or they do it when it dries a little (after 2-3 weeks).
5. To dry, some gardeners bundle the garlic in bunches and hang it under the roof of a shed or other utility room.

It is important to remember that the vegetable is brought into the room at night so that it does not absorb moisture.

Preparing the crop for long storage

It is necessary to start preparing vegetables for long-term storage only after they are completely dry. Getting started, first of all, they are determined with the place and terms of storage. The entire crop is sorted into 3 categories:

• for planting next season;
• for long term storage;
• for consumption soon.

As a rule, the largest specimens with ripe teeth are used for planting before winter. Small and damaged heads are set aside for cooking in the near future. If traces of mold or rot are noticed on the garlic, it is thrown away, joint storage with he althy specimens will lead to infection of the entire crop.

The next stage of preparation is cropping. The length of the roots depends on the purpose for which the vegetable is planned to be used.If long-term storage is ahead, leave from 3 to 5 mm. In the case of the upcoming landing, the length of the roots is from 5 to 10 mm. For pruning, use a sharp knife or secateurs. The main thing is not to damage the bottom of the bulb during 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. Slices are made either straight or oblique, this does not affect the storage time.

After the work is completed, the garlic is sent to a cool room with good ventilation for another 2 weeks, and then stored.

Crates

Wooden or plastic boxes are taken to store the harvest. The heads are laid out in them with a layer of no more than 15 cm and cleaned in a cool room where there is no access to light. Recommended temperature - from 1 to 3 degrees Celsius, humidity should not exceed 65%.

Grids

Cut heads are folded into fine-mesh nets and hung from the ceiling. Also used for storing pillowcases, in which onion skins are poured to eliminate excess moisture.

In s alt

If the humidity in the room exceeds the recommended norms, a method of storing the crop using s alt is suitable. A 2 cm layer of s alt is poured onto the bottom of the container (box, box or glass jar). Then garlic is placed, and all voids are also covered with s alt. 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 s alt, flour or wood ash is also used.

In paraffin

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

In glassware

Pre-cans are sterilized and dried. It is better to take 2 or 3-liter containers. A layer of flour is poured at the bottom and garlic is laid out, simultaneously filling up all the voids. Flour is again put on the very top and closed with a nylon lid. Stored in a cellar or on a glazed loggia.

In the ground

In the ground, garlic is stored without loss of taste until spring. To do this, the crop is packed in plastic bags, wrapped with a newspaper in 2 or 3 layers on top. Buried in the ground to a depth of about 50 cm, and warmed from above with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

Braiding

For this method, dried stems are not cut at the preparation stage. They are woven together into a pigtail, the recommended amount in one braid is 15 pieces. Twine is used to strengthen, a loop is made at the end, for which they are then attached to the ceiling.

Should the arrows be removed?

Arrowheads form only winter garlic, if they are not removed, they will draw out all the nutrients from the heads. However, sometimes gardeners leave a few pieces to guide them when it is necessary to start harvesting. If it is decided to cut off the arrows, do it when they begin to twist into a spiral.

If the garlic is overripe, what should I do?

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

Possible errors

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

1. Overexposes plants in the ground.
2. Holds its harvest in wet weather.
3. Puts damaged copies into storage.
4. Does not adhere to storage guidelines.

In order to stock up a fragrant vegetable for the whole winter and preserve the grown crop, it is necessary to study the recommended harvesting dates for garlic and storage requirements.

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