garlic harvest time

[littlebabybird]

how do you know if garlic is ready to harvest?
i have autumn and spring planted garlic just not sure when to take it out

lbb

[littlebabybird]

[lucyfoo]

the tops of the plants should start ot turn yellow and start drying out

[thifasmom]

LLB is was just about to ask this question :D, what do they say about great minds ;).

my garlic stems from the autumn planting are huge and thick (about an 1 1/4") and most of the spring planted ones are the thickness of about the size of the average man's finger.

neither set of pants are dieing back yet all look very healthy.

LLB hope you don't mind me sharing your thread.

[flossy]

   Hi lbb,

  My Autumn garlic is about 2ft high, green as you like and some stems as big as 2p pieces,

  when ?   like you - need to know !  Hope havn't got to wait until the leaves are total straw !

  floss xxx ???            ::)

[flossy]

 

  Snap !   ;D

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

similar here - tips seem to be going very slightly dry/yellow but not much more than that...

[BarriedaleNick]

I have taken most of mine but mainly due to the fact that me old mucker Mike down the plot pulled his and found approx 1/4 had root rot!! Arghh!  Luckily they look good and no sign of rot.  I normally would take in the first two weeks of June for my Autumn planted - I always look and feel the stems - when they start to lose the firmness it's a sure sign they are forming nice bulbs. 

Anyway I often take a few early as "wet" garlic so you can aways pick one or two to see how they are getting along without wasting any..

[GodfreyRob]

First signs are all the tops drying out but its not always the case that the bulbs are fully formed.

Easiest method is to gently remove some soil at the base of the stem and take a look at the bulb - the roots come out of the bottom of the bulb so you won't damage them. If the the bulbs look big enough, dig it up, if not gently replace the soil (you might want to water it too) and wait a few more weeks.

I'm not expecting my autumn planted bulbs to be ready until August.

[thifasmom]

I'm not expecting my autumn planted bulbs to be ready until August.

is that because of your location i'm in kent do you think mine will be ready earlier ???

[Old bird]

I think that I have jumped the gun!  I pulled mine up yesterday and they are not good.  I didn't know that they filled out when their tops had died off!!

Still I still have some others - and I will leave them for a while!

Old bird
:o

[Hector]

can you bung them back in?

[1066]

Not really Hector
But you could use them as wet garlic, chopped up into dishes  ;)

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

are they tasty when wet?

If so I might pull a few when I go down.

[1066]

Yup!  And they taste / smell of garlic  ::)  ;)    Nice chopped up into spuds or pasta

I have to admit I've been eyeing mine up and been thinking of pulling 1 to see what's happening - on some varieties the leaves are definitely turning yellow, but you never really know what's going on in the soil eh! Guess I'm might be a bit impatient really!

[littlebabybird]

ok, thank you every one, i will investigate later
think i will get one out what ever need something with my courgette (yes single, under cover)
lbb

[Robert_Brenchley]

Wait till a couple of that particular variety have flopped over, then lift them and dry them. Different varieties go over at somewhat different times, and it depends on where you are as well.

[amphibian]

I'm not expecting mine to be ready for a while yet. July or August. I'm in Kent and sowed in November.

[manicscousers]

ours have started with rust but they're quite a good size so I'm not too worried  :)

[Deb P]

In previous years, all of my garlic got rust really badly and I harvested in late June when they looked very dry. I then  read the IOW garlic farms advice about pulling them when only about 10% show signs of yellowing foliage, so decided to pull mine the day before yesterday; this year only a touch of rust.

My self saved 'Marco' cloves formed nice big bulbs, the Iberian, Solent Wight and Albigensian were smaller but still decent sized bulbs. All now drying off in the greenhouse....what a smell! The ground has already been planted up again with courgettes, no space empty for long! ;D

[flossy]

   Think I'll try a wet garlic, I said to OH , left him to go to the garlic bed at the end

   of the garden,   while I trembled with anticipation in the kitchen.

    Nothing like the first fruits of your labour,   and that was it --  nothing like it ,!

    ----   Nothing !         :o    Zilch     >:(       No No       ???   

    Looks like a leek , he said !   guese we have to wait a bit  ?        :-[

    floss xxx