Garlic is an unpretentious crop that grows in every garden. It is not difficult to get an excellent harvest. But you need to understand that you still can’t do without care. It is also important to have time to collect the fruits.
July is usually a good time to harvest winter garlic. But not every newbie in gardening knows how to determine that the spice is ready for harvesting.
How to know when vegetables are ready to be harvested
It is advisable to dig up a few fruits to make sure that the harvest is ready to be dried and then stored.
If the garlic is ripe, then it should separate into cloves, but they should fit tightly to the stem. If the cloves come off, then it is too early to collect the garlic, it will not be able to be stored for long. Therefore, you definitely cannot rush here.
But there is another way that helps to check the ripeness of the fruit. For this, you definitely don’t have to dig anything up ahead of time.
This option is much simpler. For this, you can leave one or two shoots on the bed. As soon as they straighten out completely, and the seed box begins to open, this is a clear sign that the fruits can be collected and sent for drying.
When can you dig up garlic?
Work on the beds should be carried out early in the morning or on a cool day. It should not be done on a hot afternoon, as the heat can negatively affect the condition of the cloves and dry them out.
What needs to be done 2 weeks before harvest
The fact is that experienced gardeners recommend stopping watering the garlic two weeks before harvesting it.
This is due to the fact that excess moisture will only negatively affect ripening.
During this period, you should stop adding additional fertilizers.
Some gardeners say that two weeks before harvesting, the bulbs should be dug up slightly so that they receive more air, and the head is larger and does not go deep into the ground.
