Harvesting Garlic

[jo9919]

I have read a few posts recently about harvesting garlic.

I presume that people harvesting garlic at the moment planted their's last year?

My garlic was planted at the end of winter. When can I expect mine to be ready?

Jo.

[jo9919]

[Robert_Brenchley]

Sometime in the next month or so. My early garlic has gone over already, and is ready for lifting. The rest is going to be a bit longer.

[BAK]

If the tops look dead (no signs of green growth) then lift them ... otherwise leave them until they are.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I leave mine till 105 have fallen over, though I've got behind with the earlies, and they've all gone over.

[tim]

This lot was perfectly dry yesterday -  left it out on racks.( http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=32815.msg326947#msg326947)

And, of course, it's soaked this am!! So it's in the greenhouse with a fan on it.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I leave mine till 105 have fallen over, though I've got behind with the earlies, and they've all gone over.

Sorry, 10%, not 105 plants!

[mc55]

Sorry, 10%, not 105 plants!

;D ;D had visions of you wandering up and down your fields of garlic, counting  LOL and picturing you getting distracted at 68 and having to start again !!

[Susiebelle]

I lifted my winter planted garlic Sunday after a "new guy on the block" was complaining about my rust, on the garlic you understand  not me ;D, however he was so agitated by the rust insisting that I needed to lift and burn it before it spread onto his spuds!- anyway did lift and cut tops off , leaving about 3" neck.  The bulbs are now in the greenhouse drying off they look fine and taste great, have no idea what the keeping properties will be like, but  did I do right?  :-\ :-\ if I fall foul of the dreaded rust again should I leave the tops on to die back naturally?.

[tim]

Don't know, but I would have thought it better to wash off the rust & leave the neck on. Keeps much better.

[jo9919]

Thanks for your replies.

My garlic's still going strong. Lots of green growth, but I planted them quite late, so I shall just wait it out.

Jo.

[sweet-pea]

I noticed flower buds on my garlic at the weekend and removed them all, but I'm now wondering whether I should lift them now or can I leave them in longer as the growth is still pretty green with only some starting to die back.

SP x

[Kea]

I have rust on my garlic but the inner leaves are still green and rust free. My leeks were the same last year and it didn't affect them, in fact the ones that over wintered lost the rust.
I don't believe that rust from garlic infects potatoes i've never seen rust on potatoes.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Ive had loads of rust the last two years. It doesn't seem to have affected the garlic at all so I just ignore it.