Garlic 2019 - Page 2

PureHarvest · May 17, 2019

Scapes sharted showing around 5/1.
Today, 5/17, Scapes are everywhere, with some already making the first curl.
I will be pulling all scapes tomorrow.
Last two years harvest started around mid-June.
I suspect we will be at least a week early this year.
The Turbans I planted, as expected, scaped and started bulbing before all my other varieties. They might be ready to harvest in a couple weeks.

Here is a plant (Music) that I pulled this morning, bulbs are sizing up now. This one is about golfball sized:

IMG_1701.jpg

bower · May 17, 2019

What a beautiful sight!

I love what you're doing with the mustard. Is there any risk they will set seed after being cut down in flower?

I still think you should get some bio-fumigant benefits if you tarp over or till the mustard beds after garlic harvest. Will be interested to see how long it takes for them to produce more flowers after the cutting.

Your turbans should be ready well before the others, according to what I've read about them.

"The time to check their bulb size and get ready to start harvesting them is in mid-spring before their leaves fall over and they lose all their bulb wrappers, as they will if they stay in the ground for very long after they are ready to be harvested."..."The secret to success in growing great Asiatic and Turban is to dig down and watch the bulbs develop and when they get big enough to suit you, go ahead and dig them up, don't wait for them to fall over."
https://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/turban.html

Chesnok Red is at least a week later than Music, for me. Don't know how your warmer climate might play into that, but Henry told me that Chesnok and Persian Star put on most of their size in the last week before harvest. I would leave them two weeks from Music if I could, but we're already turning wet and cool by that time, and I can't take the anxiety, so I dig too early and never grow them as big as they could be.

Did your Chesnok scapes come later as well? Mine are always a week behind, at least.

PureHarvest · May 17, 2019

Yeah, the Chesnock are behind in Scape growth. I anticipate harvesting them later and last.
I saw that info on GGG too, and have been using that as my guide.
I don't think the flowers will survive being cut from the plant. There is some basal leaves still on the plants and stubble, but I don't know what will come of that. There are plants that came up in the area around the some of the garlic plants where there is no fabric. I left them. The root system is shallow and I don't see it as a problem at this point in season as far as stealing resources from the garlic. They are flowering now. I am not worried about seeds becoming a weed issue down the road, because I will plant the whole plot back to tall fescue this fall. The surrounding areas are all thick tall fescue and clover, so there is little to no space for seed to take hold.

PureHarvest · May 17, 2019

Quote:

Originally Posted by xellos99

Not sure if you can get most French Varieties where you are or if they work well where you are but Thermidrome are tough and hardy.

I grew them all Winter in UK and freezing temps, frost, gale force wind and rain did nothing much. They just kept going and did not care

Weather is not a problem here for me.
The only problems I have are with wireworms causing some blemishes on the bulbs, and humidity during the curing and storage process.

Whwoz · May 17, 2019

Lovely looking garlic PH. Trialling Music here Down Under (where it is regarded buy those who know more than I as a Porcelain) for the first time, Cherokee Red on the list for next year, interested in hearing your thoughts on both.

PureHarvest · May 18, 2019

Not familiar with Cherokee red.
Music does fine here, but German extra hardy sizes up bigger and has been more uniform in the two years I’ve grown it.
I don’t have lots of years to compare and suspect that over time they will both be good.
I am out here now and must note that chesnock Red is not making scapes yet where the porcelains are all at first curl. I’m 3/4 of the way done pulling them all, scapes that is.

PureHarvest · June 3, 2019

Looking like Friday the 14th will be the main harvest day.
Probably will harvest the stuff that was planted in tunnel this weekend, as it looks like it is about a week ahead of the plants in the open field.

I built a harvest wagon to be pulled over the beds after we undercut the bulbs with the tractor.

IMG_1729.jpg

IMG_1730.jpg

Now we won't have to stoop over to pick up the bulbs and drag the basket along by hand.
2 people can ride and will sit on it sideways on a padded stadium bleacher seat.

seat.jpg

2 bushel baskets will fit in the space between the square holes. Full baskets will be shuttled to two easy-up canopies with a golf cart pulling a garden wagon that can hold 4 baskets.
The tent stations will have two drying racks up on saw horses for loading.
Putting new cultivator shares on the tractor this weekend and gonna line up the shanks and test them out for undercutting bulbs.
Then we rest up for the big day...

bower · June 3, 2019

Nice wagon PH! I bet the kids are gonna love helping while having a ride.

PureHarvest · June 3, 2019

Already had my youngest declare "I'm doing this job!"

bower · June 3, 2019

LOL.

What a clever dad!

GoDawgs · June 3, 2019

I love it! Not only does it make harvesting easier but if the kids think it's fun they'll be even better helpers. You get the Tom Sawyer Award.

PureHarvest · June 17, 2019

Harvest was this past weekend.
We started with the 10 beds that were out in the field on Friday.
I cut down all the tops at 730 am (took 50 minutes with a weed whacker with a 3 serrated plastic blade cutting head) and walked in the house at 830 pm.
Everything went well. We were able to pull a wrapper layer off the bulbs in the field on about the first half of the harvest, so there will be nothing to clean on those. Will buy me a lot of time to get to selling while I clean the rest when they are dry enough.
Music and Romanian Red sized up nicely, but German Extra Hardy was disappointingly small. Maybe could have use 5-7 more days, but we had a small window between constant rain and boy has this spring been wet. Had to take them regardless.
Harvested the tunnel-grown Chesnock on Saturday. Mixed sizes. The cloves are all over the place in size when you break them open to plant, so I imagine the small bulbs i harvested came from the smaller cloves we planted.
Will not plant Chesnock again due to its lateness and variability in clove size.
Still have 2- 300' beds of Chesnock out in the field to harvest this coming weekend.
I had another two areas I planted late and built tunnels over (but never got the plastic on in February) looked like crap. Tiny plants. I figured they were a loss. Tops were almost 80% brown as of yesterday. I pulled the ones that were pinky-sized stems and was stunned. Decent bulbs 1.75"-2".
So I gleaned through and probably got 1,500 bulbs on what I thought was a loss.
Lesson: even a few more days in the ground can really size your bulbs on small stems/plants. Plants can look way past time, and you still will have some viable bulb wrappers if they will go to immediate sale or use. Probably not as good for winter storage or seed saving.
Anyway, an over all success. I estimate we have 10,000 bulbs in the drying trailer...

IMG_1750.JPG

IMG_1754.JPG

IMG_1756.JPG

IMG_1757.JPG

Shrinkrap · June 17, 2019

What a wonderful site!

JRinPA · June 17, 2019

Got any closeups of the plants before harvest?

bower · June 17, 2019

That is beautiful, PH!!!

Great job with the weed whacker - smart way to do it for the bulk drying too. What great drying racks!! Super setup.

I was wondering and meaning to ask you about the garlic you grew under cover. The garlic I have in the greenhouse is so far ahead of everything outdoors, the rounds are putting out scapes today, so I will definitely have a much earlier harvest time than the outdoor.

Sorry the Chesnok didn't work out for you. Persian Star is the same type (Purple Stripe) and same mo - later, smaller plants, hard to get the bulbs to size up, many cloves but the smaller cloves are not worth planting, for sure they are giving you a smaller bulb. I thought you would get bigger bulbs for being in a warm climate though. Will be interested to hear about the later harvest, and I hope they pleasantly surprise you.

May 17, 2019	#18
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Yeah, the Chesnock are behind in Scape growth. I anticipate harvesting them later and last. I saw that info on GGG too, and have been using that as my guide. I don't think the flowers will survive being cut from the plant. There is some basal leaves still on the plants and stubble, but I don't know what will come of that. There are plants that came up in the area around the some of the garlic plants where there is no fabric. I left them. The root system is shallow and I don't see it as a problem at this point in season as far as stealing resources from the garlic. They are flowering now. I am not worried about seeds becoming a weed issue down the road, because I will plant the whole plot back to tall fescue this fall. The surrounding areas are all thick tall fescue and clover, so there is little to no space for seed to take hold. Last edited by PureHarvest; May 17, 2019 at 10:15 AM.

June 3, 2019	#22
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Looking like Friday the 14th will be the main harvest day. Probably will harvest the stuff that was planted in tunnel this weekend, as it looks like it is about a week ahead of the plants in the open field. I built a harvest wagon to be pulled over the beds after we undercut the bulbs with the tractor. IMG_1729.jpg IMG_1730.jpg Now we won't have to stoop over to pick up the bulbs and drag the basket along by hand. 2 people can ride and will sit on it sideways on a padded stadium bleacher seat. seat.jpg 2 bushel baskets will fit in the space between the square holes. Full baskets will be shuttled to two easy-up canopies with a golf cart pulling a garden wagon that can hold 4 baskets. The tent stations will have two drying racks up on saw horses for loading. Putting new cultivator shares on the tractor this weekend and gonna line up the shanks and test them out for undercutting bulbs. Then we rest up for the big day... Last edited by PureHarvest; June 3, 2019 at 08:00 AM.

June 17, 2019	#27
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Harvest was this past weekend. We started with the 10 beds that were out in the field on Friday. I cut down all the tops at 730 am (took 50 minutes with a weed whacker with a 3 serrated plastic blade cutting head) and walked in the house at 830 pm. Everything went well. We were able to pull a wrapper layer off the bulbs in the field on about the first half of the harvest, so there will be nothing to clean on those. Will buy me a lot of time to get to selling while I clean the rest when they are dry enough. Music and Romanian Red sized up nicely, but German Extra Hardy was disappointingly small. Maybe could have use 5-7 more days, but we had a small window between constant rain and boy has this spring been wet. Had to take them regardless. Harvested the tunnel-grown Chesnock on Saturday. Mixed sizes. The cloves are all over the place in size when you break them open to plant, so I imagine the small bulbs i harvested came from the smaller cloves we planted. Will not plant Chesnock again due to its lateness and variability in clove size. Still have 2- 300' beds of Chesnock out in the field to harvest this coming weekend. I had another two areas I planted late and built tunnels over (but never got the plastic on in February) looked like crap. Tiny plants. I figured they were a loss. Tops were almost 80% brown as of yesterday. I pulled the ones that were pinky-sized stems and was stunned. Decent bulbs 1.75"-2". So I gleaned through and probably got 1,500 bulbs on what I thought was a loss. Lesson: even a few more days in the ground can really size your bulbs on small stems/plants. Plants can look way past time, and you still will have some viable bulb wrappers if they will go to immediate sale or use. Probably not as good for winter storage or seed saving. Anyway, an over all success. I estimate we have 10,000 bulbs in the drying trailer... IMG_1750.JPG IMG_1754.JPG IMG_1756.JPG IMG_1757.JPG Last edited by PureHarvest; June 17, 2019 at 04:29 PM.

May 17, 2019	#17
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	What a beautiful sight! I love what you're doing with the mustard. Is there any risk they will set seed after being cut down in flower? I still think you should get some bio-fumigant benefits if you tarp over or till the mustard beds after garlic harvest. Will be interested to see how long it takes for them to produce more flowers after the cutting. Your turbans should be ready well before the others, according to what I've read about them. "The time to check their bulb size and get ready to start harvesting them is in mid-spring before their leaves fall over and they lose all their bulb wrappers, as they will if they stay in the ground for very long after they are ready to be harvested."..."The secret to success in growing great Asiatic and Turban is to dig down and watch the bulbs develop and when they get big enough to suit you, go ahead and dig them up, don't wait for them to fall over." https://www.gourmetgarlicgardens.com/turban.html Chesnok Red is at least a week later than Music, for me. Don't know how your warmer climate might play into that, but Henry told me that Chesnok and Persian Star put on most of their size in the last week before harvest. I would leave them two weeks from Music if I could, but we're already turning wet and cool by that time, and I can't take the anxiety, so I dig too early and never grow them as big as they could be. Did your Chesnok scapes come later as well? Mine are always a week behind, at least.

May 17, 2019	#20
Whwoz Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 870	Lovely looking garlic PH. Trialling Music here Down Under (where it is regarded buy those who know more than I as a Porcelain) for the first time, Cherokee Red on the list for next year, interested in hearing your thoughts on both.

May 18, 2019	#21
PureHarvest Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Mid-Atlantic right on the line of Zone 7a and 7b Posts: 1,369	Not familiar with Cherokee red. Music does fine here, but German extra hardy sizes up bigger and has been more uniform in the two years I’ve grown it. I don’t have lots of years to compare and suspect that over time they will both be good. I am out here now and must note that chesnock Red is not making scapes yet where the porcelains are all at first curl. I’m 3/4 of the way done pulling them all, scapes that is.

June 3, 2019	#25
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	LOL. What a clever dad!

June 3, 2019	#26
GoDawgs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Augusta area, Georgia, 8a/7b Posts: 1,685	I love it! Not only does it make harvesting easier but if the kids think it's fun they'll be even better helpers. You get the Tom Sawyer Award.

June 17, 2019	#28
Shrinkrap Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: N. California Posts: 701	What a wonderful site!

June 17, 2019	#29
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	Got any closeups of the plants before harvest?

June 17, 2019	#30
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	That is beautiful, PH!!! Great job with the weed whacker - smart way to do it for the bulk drying too. What great drying racks!! Super setup. I was wondering and meaning to ask you about the garlic you grew under cover. The garlic I have in the greenhouse is so far ahead of everything outdoors, the rounds are putting out scapes today, so I will definitely have a much earlier harvest time than the outdoor. Sorry the Chesnok didn't work out for you. Persian Star is the same type (Purple Stripe) and same mo - later, smaller plants, hard to get the bulbs to size up, many cloves but the smaller cloves are not worth planting, for sure they are giving you a smaller bulb. I thought you would get bigger bulbs for being in a warm climate though. Will be interested to hear about the later harvest, and I hope they pleasantly surprise you.