garlic harvest

[roysha]

Yesterday I dug my garlic crop for this year. I believe it is the best one yet. I plant approximately 300 cloves each fall so we have plenty for us and the Kids and a few for friends.

The variety we raise is called Polish Soft Neck. It is VERY pungent and a super good keeper. It literally keeps in a usable condition from year to year. Large heads and large cloves that are easy to peel.

I usually peel a sandwich baggy full at a time and we use that till 3/4 gone then I do another. GREAT STUFF! If a recipe calls for a clove or two, that means a handful and if it doesn't call for any at all that means 3-5 or so. In case anyone missed it, we LOVE garlic! What ever is left over, I dehydrate, grind and we use it like granulated/powdered garlic on fried eggs, toast, mashed potatoes with lots of butter, sour dough bread sticks, etc. I use a lot in my pickled quail eggs and add them to dill pickles. Have to be careful in the dills because it will make them so hot that no one else in the family will/can eat them.

This is and example of this years crop. The vast majority are like those in the photo. The smaller ones, I'll use for "seed" for next year. The garlic is hanging in the barn now, curing, and in a couple weeks I'll bring to house, clip tops and store in mesh bags hung so air can circulate freely. The light bulb is a common incandescent 40 watt for size reference

[Hogtamer]

Don't forget a little in grits! You must not be from around here! Good stiff Roysha.

[Driver33]

I just pickled a couple of jars of garlic. It's great on burgers an samwiches

[duke76]

You should actually save the bigger ones for seed for next year, that is the way garlic works, the size is determined by the ones planted. In a few years you will have all larger garlic

[Lagamor]

I used to grow garlic. It smelled soooo good when you pulled it up.
Think I'm gonna order some for September planting.

[dale2242]

My garlic bulbs are bigger this year I`m not sure why, but love it.
Duke76 has it right, it is recommended you plant the biggest, best cloves....dale

[EMC45]

Yummmm Garlic.....

[farmerjim]

They look great.
What part of the country are you in to be harvesting this time of the year?

[roysha]

They look great.
What part of the country are you in to be harvesting this time of the year?

​On the wrong side of the border, 30 miles south of Cheyenne, WY.

[roysha]

Duke76 and Dale2242. When I first started growing garlic, 10 or so years ago I read as much about it as I could find and absorb. The prevailing wisdom said that one must plant the largest cloves to achieve the largest heads. After a couple of years of growing garlic and getting a bit more comfortable with my methods I started asking some question of folks that raised it commercially. It was about 50-50, yes/no, as to whether the size of the clove was a big factor in the size of the head. Those that said no, stated in their opinion the soil quality and water application and mulch were far more important than clove size. So I decided to run an experiment to see if I could satisfy the question for myself one way or another.

I planted 2 rows with deliberately selected small and very small cloves and two rows of selected large and extra large cloves. Each row with 30 cloves and using my normal procedure. I planted these in the center of the patch since that would be the most uniform growing conditions. For all practical purposes there was no difference in the size or conformation of the heads.

Since then I just break as many heads as I need to plant what I want and disregard the clove size, unless it is extremely small. If it is big enough to peel and eat I consider it plantable.

Just my experience. YMMV.

[dale2242]

Very interesting. Some wives tales seem to be passed on without question.
I have also heard not to get the bulbs wet after harvest.
I dig mine then wash them with a spray nozzle on the garden hose.
It is the easiest way to clean them.
I them dry them very well. 2 weeks or more in the shade....dale

[CastingFool]

I planted garlic last fall, for my first time ever. Planted two different varieties, but the names escape me now. Anyway, I harvested one head about a week ago, and I was pleasantly surprised how big the head was, somewhere around 3-3-1/2 inches.
the rest, I left in the ground as the tops were not as browned up as the first one. I think they'll be ready in about a week.

[DerekP Houston]

I used to grow garlic. It smelled soooo good when you pulled it up.
Think I'm gonna order some for September planting.

The OP looks like a good batch! That was a great easy crop for us to grow in the backyard. Thanks for sharing the picture of them "raw" from the garden. Now I know what to look for next time instead of just yanking a few and guessing.

I literally used the ones from Aldi (a discount grocery store) . Harvested around 16 heads of garlic though I let a few sprout again since I wasn't sure when to pull them. Still eating garlic from that haul, they all dried out nicely and are awaiting usage. My grandfather and granny used to keep wooden bins for root crops like this and all were separated. Amazing how long they could store stuff at home when all my produce was spoiling in the fridge.

[Lagamor]

Thanks for bringing the subject up. I haven't grown garlic in years and now I just ordered some from The Garlic Store. Now I'm too excited to wait until September for my order to arrive. The wait is gonna drive me nuts. Guess I'm going to have to cast and shoot in the meantime...oh, well.

[waksupi]

The OP looks like a good batch! That was a great easy crop for us to grow in the backyard. Thanks for sharing the picture of them "raw" from the garden. Now I know what to look for next time instead of just yanking a few and guessing.

I literally used the ones from Aldi (a discount grocery store) . Harvested around 16 heads of garlic though I let a few sprout again since I wasn't sure when to pull them. Still eating garlic from that haul, they all dried out nicely and are awaiting usage. My grandfather and granny used to keep wooden bins for root crops like this and all were separated. Amazing how long they could store stuff at home when all my produce was spoiling in the fridge.

I wait until the three bottom leaves have gone brown.

[DougGuy]

If you want killer garlic, you gotta FEED it good. A buddy composts all his kitchen waste by throwing it over the fence to his chickens. Every cpl yrs he scoops the top 2" - 3" of the dirt the chickens have been trampling on and mixes this in with his soil in his beds. If you have a lot of kitchen waste compost it and mix this in with your soil where you grow garlic. Also, if you have a lot of worms that is a sign that there is a lot of organic matter in the soil for them to eat, garlic LOVES organic matter that it can feed on too. Organic plant matter and manure = awesome garlic!

I had a really good garlic crop 2yrs ago, and we had voles real bad that summer and they ate the roots off all of it before it made very big bulbs. I was PISSED to say the least.

roysha that is some GREAT looking garlic sir! If you get where you don't have room to store like ALL of it, I have room here for some!

[44man]

I LOVE garlic but my wife can't handle it. She gets heart burn. She hates me when I stink too.
A neighbor gave me a jar of pickled ramps. I love ramps too.
Life is hard when you are alone with food and cook so only you can eat. Took years for Carol to see a little pink on steak is where it's at. She fries eggs to hockey pucks and meat to shoe leather. I hate it when she says my meat is raw.
Had a big blow out this morning over ribs. I got so angry I was about to toss them in the garbage. Rain was expected but I cleaned the ribs and decided to smoke them. She was going to put them in the oven. I coated with mustard and my rub. I got screamed at. Would work either way.
I think I will stop cooking after this. I feel like I should have mashed garlic all over them.
Why do I drink?

[johnson1942]

is it too early to plant garlic for harvesting next june?

[duke76]

is it too early to plant garlic for harvesting next june?

I usually plant right before ground freezes hard around Thanksgiving time but I am NW IA so it may be different for you and usually harvest end of june.

[dale2242]

I plant garlic here in SW Oregon in Sept-Oct. depending on the weather....dale