Digging Garlic - July 17, 2019 @goldenoakfarm

Digging garlic - mulch moved crop July 2019.jpg
Mulch moved

So it turns out my intern could not come on Wednesday, so I’d be digging garlic myself. I got out early at 5:30 as it was to be real hot. It had to be done, as it had gone well past harvest condition.

First thing was to move the mulch so I could dig.

Digging garlic - digging crop July 2019.jpg

This year I paid a lot of attention to how close I dug. I didn’t want to damage bulbs. The shovel looks angled in, but is actually straight down, then I lift gently to loosen the soil. I pull the plant out by holding around the lower leaves. It should come easily, even though I planted deep, at 6”.

Digging garlic - getting started crop July 2019.jpg

I use 32 gallon totes for the harvest. There are 4 rows of 32’, plants spaced 6” apart.

Digging garlic - 2 rows done2 crop July 2019.jpg

I dug these 2 rows together and finished them.

Digging garlic - 2 rows done1 crop July 2019.jpg

I filled this tote and half of another one.

Digging garlic - 3rd row done crop July 2019.jpg

Next I moved more mulch into the finished rows and dug the 3rd row. I filled the second tote and started this 3rd one.

Digging garlic - 4th row done crop July 2019.jpg

More mulch moving and I started the 4th row. This row had the Chesnok Red garlic.

Digging garlic - Chesnok Red scapes crop July 2019.jpg
Chesnok Red garlic with its late starting scapes

The Chesnok Red didn’t make scapes when my German Extra Hardy did in June. I’d long since finished harvesting scapes when they were ready, so they were left.

This meant the bulbs would be small as the energy went into making seed in the scape. But these have always been small, even when I got the scapes off. I’ve decided I’m not growing the Chesnok Red anymore.

Digging garlic - late scape crop July 2019.jpg

There were 2 or 3 of the German that had late scapes too.

My husband lugged the 3 totes over to the picnic table and I set up a chair, an enormous pot with drainage holes, and a hose and set to work cleaning the garlic.

Digging garlic - Too old garlic1 crop July 2019.jpg
Garlic with 5 brown leaves

What happens if you are late harvesting garlic, for each brown leaf from the bottom, you lose a layer of protective skin. So garlic should be harvested by the time there’s 2 brown leaves.

Digging garlic - Too old garlic2 crop July 2019.jpg

This is what the bottoms look like, missing all paper.

So I was removing the rotting layers from my too late garlic, and the soil. If garlic is harvested in a timely fashion, those 1 or 2 layers can be pulled off, leaving a nice clean bulb.

Digging garlic - David trimming roots crop July 2019.jpg

My husband took pity on me and about 10AM he came out and started cutting roots back while I finished cleaning the garlic.

Digging garlic - harvest crop July 2019.jpg
This is the cleaned garlic for the year. Chesnok Red on right.

Then I started tying sets of 8 bulbs, styled in a staggered fashion for better drying, so they could be hung up. My husband ferried them to the woodshed and hung them 2 sets to a nail.

Digging garlic - harvest hung1 crop July 2019.jpg

This year, they can hang as long as needed as I did not grow any storage onions. Last year I had to take them down before they’d finished curing because the storage onions had to be harvested. They were slow to cure last year due to incessant rain and high humidity.

Digging garlic - harvest hung2 crop July 2019.jpg

He had to put up more nails here to hang the 5 extra sets.

I had only damaged one digging, and had the 2 that were too far gone to hang. He estimated that there were around 275 bulbs, including the Chesnok Red, of which there were 12.

I will be able to sell some of these this year. In past years I’ve had a lot of people want some, and not had enough.

The quality isn’t what it was last year, due to late harvest and the drought. But there’s still some nice size cloves on the bulbs and that’s what I select for, for my own seed.

More info on garlic: https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/digging-and-processing-garlic

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I've attempted to grow garlic twice in the last few years and have never had luck. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. But some day I will conquer this one!

You have such an abundance of it!

If it is any help I made this post about planting garlic:

https://steemit.com/homesteading/@goldenoakfarm/planting-garlic-november-21-2018-goldenoakfarm

Several key things:

  1. Plant early enough in fall for root systems to develop
  2. Use the biggest cloves from each bulb only
  3. Mulch well to protect from frost heaving
  4. Feed them
  5. Keep them weeded, they HATE competition
  6. Water regularly if needed
  7. Take scapes off before seedhead swells
  8. Harvest when 2nd bottom leaf turns brown

Hope you have better luck on your next try!

oh so lovely, you work in such a neat and tidy manner! and awesome that you can sell some. That is one of our goals for next year. We (my husband) just removed some scapes yesterday which is super late because this year we planted in the spring. Some of the bulbs are looking nice and big so I still have hope for a good harvest late August or early September.

I only planted once in the spring and the bulbs were small, so I never did again. I am glad yours are good size. :))

Very cool you keep making great posts!

Thanks! Every now and then I have something I've not already written about, or have something to add to what I have written.

Mostly I write about what I doing or what's in the gardens, not thrilling and usually not too educational. Oh la! :))

That is so amazing. Stacie D and I grew garlic one year, but we ate it all so quickly haha. It is nice to see you put so much up! Be well.

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Oh gosh full stop that is great harvest. I'm glad that I am not the only one that doesn't braid them. I do what you do and just tied them with a hey band. This year I made black garlic for the first time, and I want to make more of it this year as it is so tasty. However I didn't mind as much garlic as I normally do as my husband can't tolerate garlic so we just weren't eating as much period turns out he can tolerate black garlic. Next year we are going away so sadly I am going to let the garlic crop go. It is a little frustrating because I have accumulated a really good amount of bulbs for planting over 7 years and I guess I will have to source it again for the following year full stop unless I can find someone to plant and Harvest for me, but everyone is busy doing their own thing.

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These are hardneck and can't be braided. It's only softnecks, that don't make scapes, that can be braided. I love scapes so don't grow softenecks. :))

You are now officially my garlic guru!!

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Well, bear in mind, I only know how to grow it here in New England.....

Well, bear in mind, I
Only know how to grow it
Here in New England.....

                 - goldenoakfarm


I'm a bot. I detect haiku.

Ha, true!!!

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Last season was my first decent garlic harvest, but I didn't know when it was best to harvest, so many had gone a bit too far and the cloves were separating. So thank you for the tips on the best time to harvest. Perhaps I'll be better prepared this time they're ready to harvest.

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