Harvesting garlic. Storage of garlic

Garlic - easy to care for, completely unpretentious culture. It is easy to plant, it is resistant to colds and drought. But for its safety, it is very important to observe the terms and conditions when cleaning winter garlic and spring garlic. This is what we will consider in this article.

Harvest time

Terms of cleaning depend on the climate, weather conditions and the way of planting. In the steppe and forest-steppe zone, garlic acquires a maximum of useful substances by the middle of July, and in the Moscow region it should not be collected before the beginning of August. This garlic harvest time corresponds to a dry and moderately rainy summer. If the weather was very damp, it should be dig for a week, or even two before. Otherwise, the bulbs will pick up a lot of moisture from the soil and there is a risk of decay.

Spring garlic, which is cleaned in the second half of August - early September, is called summer garlic . He does not shoot. His maturity is determined by the yellowed and filthy foliage.

Winter, planted in autumn garlic, reaches the optimal for the collection of maturity almost a month earlier than spring. Approximate terms of harvesting winter garlic - the end of July.

What does ripe garlic look like?

Thus, garlic, like any plant, grows and develops individually, and it is more accurate to determine the time of its harvesting by the appearance of the aboveground part. In this question everything is subordinated to logic: when the leaves faded and lost green color, the plant reached the limit of its growth. Rotten leaves are not capable of photosynthesis and maintenance of vital processes, hence, the bulb will no longer grow. It's time for garlic to be cleaned.

Wait a long time with cleaning, too, is not worth it, because if the leaves fall and wither, it will affect the condition of the bulb. Her shell will lose strength, denticles will fall off, such garlic will not be available until next season.

That is the best time when garlic cleaning is needed is the moment when the leaves of the above-ground part have turned yellow about half. Such garlic has already acquired all the useful substances, but has not yet begun to age.

An important sign of maturity is the opening of the inflorescence. To use this indicator, it is desirable to leave the arrow-peduncles on several plants. When the ball-bud starts to open and a brush of flowers appears, you can, without doubting, dig out the garlic.

Remember that spring garlic does not form inflorescences, therefore, watching it, you can focus only on the leaves.

Harvesting garlic: what is needed for this?

Focusing on the climate and weather, it should be about a month before harvesting to stop watering garlic. Due to this, it will be stored longer without the risk of rot.

Please note that only fully ripened garlic is stored safely and for a long time. To achieve this, a week before the garlic is cleaned, when the leaves are already beginning to fade, you need to release the bulbs slightly from the ground. But the heads should not burn under direct sunlight, so half-open garlic should be covered with hay or a textile tent.

Harvesting of winter garlic and spring must be carried out only in sunny, dry weather, increased humidity will damage the crop, even if it is then dried for a long time.

Digging garlic can be a shovel or pitchforks, the heads should remain intact, the leaves can not be cut off right away. They are needed for the final ripening and saturation of the bulbs with minerals and vitamins. As for the roots, they do not play any role, they can be removed immediately or after drying.

Initial processing of garlic

After shaking off the ground, place garlic in a thin layer in the sun (if the weather permits) or in a dry, well ventilated room. Drying will take 2-3 weeks on average. The degree of readiness is determined by drying the leaves.

Dried heads are cleaned from roots, leaves and remains of the earth, at the same time looking, whether there is rot, mold, fungus. Damaged bulbs are removed to prevent spoilage.

Storage

From time to time, garlic needs to be looked at for rotting or germination. The heads, on which young shoots appeared, are unsuitable for long storage.

As a rule, garlic is kept uncleaned, in the heads or divided into denticles. There are two versions of the temperature regime for storage:

• Cold at + 1-3 degrees,
• Warm at + 17-19 degrees.

In what and where to store garlic?

To avoid the appearance of rot, you can put garlic in a wooden or metal container and fill it with sawdust, sand or salt. In the absence of air access, mold and fungus do not appear exactly. Such a box or a bucket of garlic must be taken to the cellar or the coolest place in the house, but not to the balcony - it can be too humid.

In a room where it is very dry and relatively cool, you can store garlic in bundles and wreaths. They must be braided from freshly harvested plants, when the leaves have not yet lost their elasticity. But to use such wreaths in the kitchen for decor is risky, because from increased humidity they can start to rot. Garlic is well stored at a humidity of 40-50%, if it is less, the denticles will dry up and spoil.

The mold does not develop in a vacuum, therefore, if it is intended not to use any part of the garlic for a long time, it can be packed in a sealed container, for example a jar with a lid for preservation. So, the container is stuffed with garlic heads, densely stacking, a small candle is placed on top so that it does not interfere with closing the lid. And tightly close the jar with a metal lid. A burning candle will consume all the oxygen inside the jar, and then the fire will go out. In this form, garlic can be stored for several years without the risk of decay or drying.

Storage of peeled garlic

The collected ripe garlic can be completely cleaned and stored in vegetable oil until several months. If desired, the oil is slightly salted. The teeth are folded in a dry and clean container, poured so that they are completely immersed in oil. In this form, garlic is stored in a refrigerator or cellar.