Garlic

[mhrfm]

When do you know when garlic is ready for harvesting?

[Mr Bones]

Take a peek at a bulb when half the leaves are turning yellow . Usually around the longest day here in the UK. If the plant dies right back paper round the bulb decomposes and storage is compromised.

[Plot70]

I harvest from when the flower fades to the start of winter.

[toomanytommytoes]

For softneck I wait until about a third of the lower leaves have died off or the base of the stem becomes a bit soft.

[ameno]

Take a peek at a bulb when half the leaves are turning yellow . Usually around the shortest day here in the UK. If the plant dies right back paper round the bulb decomposes and storage is compromised.

I think you mean the longest day.
Certainly, late June is about right.

[bramble]

When did you plant your garlic.
Good advice from others.
It used to be said, plant on the shortest day and harvest on the longest

[mhrfm]

Planted in October.

Please share tips on storage. This is something that really intrigued me. I’ll have around 80, and would like to stretch that out.

[toomanytommytoes]

What is the variety? Some mature earlier than others, I've harvested Early Purple Wight in late May and Iberian Wight in early June.

After harvesting I tie the bulbs together at the tops of the stems, in bunches of 6 and hang them on an old clothes rack in the shade. When all the leaves have gone brown I chop them off, trim the roots and carefully brush off any soil and loose skin. Then they go into paper bags with air holes and are kept in a cool, dark place.

[Plot70]

I have ab ex army chef to do the garlic.
Peel all the cloves and soak them in two bottles of cooking oil. One of these being olive oil.
Leave it in the oil for 6 months to a year and then when cooking just use the garlic infused oil without having to mess around peeling garlic each time you cook.

[mhrfm]

What is the variety? Some mature earlier than others, I've harvested Early Purple Wight in late May and Iberian Wight in early June.

After harvesting I tie the bulbs together at the tops of the stems, in bunches of 6 and hang them on an old clothes rack in the shade. When all the leaves have gone brown I chop them off, trim the roots and carefully brush off any soil and loose skin. Then they go into paper bags with air holes and are kept in a cool, dark place.

Brilliant thank you.

And how long will they store for?

[mhrfm]

Once the garlic is harvested, what do most people plant after it to get a winter crop of something?

[Guest]

I have ab ex army chef to do the garlic.
Peel all the cloves and soak them in two bottles of cooking oil. One of these being olive oil.
Leave it in the oil for 6 months to a year and then when cooking just use the garlic infused oil without having to mess around peeling garlic each time you cook.

Just a word of warning to anyone reading that there are issues with garlic in oil and botulism. Feel free to gurgle

[toomanytommytoes]

Brilliant thank you.

And how long will they store for?

Some varieties store better than others. Solent Wight is supposed to last until April. We always run out before then

Bearing in mind the only variety we grow is Iberian Wight which is harvested in early June, after garlic I have planted courgettes, butternut squash, kale and this year will be trying sweetcorn and tomatoes. You could also grow things like carrots, beetroot, oriental greens etc.

[annie8]

Am starting to worry about my garlic. Planted in October and growing well but looks a bit puny. Last year same thing happened and the bulbs were pretty small. When in the growing cycle do the bulbs swell up? Have been watering them in all this dry weather and giving feeds with chicken pellets.

[mhrfm]

Just a word of warning to anyone reading that there are issues with garlic in oil and botulism. Feel free to gurgle

In 1989 the FDA issued the following statement about fresh garlic in olive oil:

To be safe*.*.*.*garlic-in-oil products should contain additional ingredients—specific levels of microbial inhibitors or acidifying agents such as phosphoric or citric acid.*.*.*.*Unrefrigerated garlic-in-oil mixes lacking antimicrobial agents can permit the growth of Clostridium “botulinum bacteria with subsequent toxin production without affecting the taste and smell of the products. Toxin production can occur even when a small number of Clostridium botulinum spores are present in the garlic. When the spore-containing garlic is bottled and covered with oil, an oxygen-free environment is created that promotes the germination of spores and the growth of microorganisms at temperatures as low as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.