General information and discussion about cultivating onions, garlic, shallots and leeks.
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July 7, 2017 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Floyd VA
Posts: 771
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Garlic coming in strong (Photos)
I have now harvested 70% of my garlic, the remaining being Music with a few more days to go. These are about two weeks earlier than normal, probably due to our unusually warm winter and spring. I have them curing on my covered porch, with tables arranged to block wind blown rain, and a fan on a timer to help air circulation (although being on a ridge at 2,600 ft. elevation we are breezy enough).
The crop is larger than normal, with most bulbs 2.5 inches plus and some over 3 inches. The first garlic photo below is Russian Red (marked "R"), the second is Estonian Red (marked "EST"), and the third is Music (marked "M"). Once cured I will brush them clean, trim them, and store in my cellar. I reserve the largest 100 bulbs for seed, another 100 bulbs for a friend, 50-100 for use in canning, and the remaining 200 for table stock throughout the year. I am still eating the last dozen bulbs from last year's smaller crop. TomNJ/VA |
July 7, 2017 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 3,825
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Well done!
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July 7, 2017 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
Posts: 3,149
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Wow, well done. Those are just beautiful!
Which varieties store the best?
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July 7, 2017 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Southern WI
Posts: 2,742
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Great looking garlic! I will be joining you soon with a harvest, looking like it will be a good garlic year in WI as well.
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July 7, 2017 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: north central B.C.
Posts: 2,310
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A very beautiful sight - I am so jealous (lost entire crop this year due to bad winter conditions, as did many others). Well done.
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"He who has a library and a garden wants for nothing." -Cicero |
July 7, 2017 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,794
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They do look awesome!
Music and Argentina (porcelains) are my earliest garlic here... Nice to hear that Russian Red and Estonian Red are even earlier. |
July 7, 2017 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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Nice bounty. What do you think resulted in the larger than normal size?
I don't mean to thread hike, but I am listening to the forecast and getting concerned about my raised bed garlic. The tops dried down but I was unable to harvest. Now there is a dry heatwave forecast for the next 10 days.Does anyone know what will be the result of keeping garlic in the ground during very hot weather? - Lisa |
July 7, 2017 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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If you let the plants dry completely the cloves will start to separate in the heads and they will not store as long.
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July 7, 2017 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2012
Location: massachusetts
Posts: 1,710
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Wow beautiful.
One head a day, sounds about right. Had 50 heads last year and didn't make it 2 months. |
July 7, 2017 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2008
Location: zone 5 Colorado
Posts: 942
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Beautiful harvest!
I only grow Estonian Red and this year added Elephant garlic for the daughter. This year's harvest was 2 weeks early and smaller than last year. |
July 7, 2017 | #11 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Floyd VA
Posts: 771
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Quote:
If your tops are dried down you need to pull them or you'll have no wrappers. I harvest when there re four mostly green leaves left as each leaf extends under ground and is also a wrapper layer. As a leaf browns its wrapper is lost. Hot and dry weather is ideal for harvesting garlic so long as you still have some green leaves. TomNJ/VA |
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July 7, 2017 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MA/NH Border
Posts: 4,919
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Those look great! My harvest was two weeks earlier than usual this year, but I probably could have left them one more week. They were predicting rain for the next three days I would have been free to harvest, so I decided to just pull them all while I had time and conditions were right. They are still larger and healthier than what I've been getting the last couple of years, so all in all a very successful year for garlic for me as well.
Let's hope the successful garlic harvests set the tone for the rest of the season! |
July 8, 2017 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Pulaski County, Arkansas
Posts: 1,239
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that should keep the bugs off the deck for awhile. great job and looks beautifismo. love the organization with oscillating fan. splendid.
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July 8, 2017 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: S.E. Michigan (Livonia)
Posts: 1,264
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Great looking crop Tom !
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July 8, 2017 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: NewYork 5a
Posts: 2,303
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Beautiful. I am hopeful to have about the same, fingers crossed. If so, it will be my
best year. A couple more weeks... I was panicked late last Fall as I had not prepped the bed so I put it in the bean/pea bed. A last minute rotation crop decision. Worked out well. |
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