Every year, gardeners face the same question: is it time to harvest garlic?
If you, like many other farmers, suffer from uncertainty, we suggest you take advantage of the tips left by the expert of the online publication BelNovosti, scientist-agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh .
Visual signs that garlic is ready for harvesting
Since, as they say, every time is different - the weather can be different, and other factors that influence the rate of ripening of the crop also change, the best guide will be visual signs.
1. Control arrows
When removing shoots from your garlic bed, leave a couple to help you determine when it's time to harvest.
As soon as you see that the arrows have straightened out and the seed pods have begun to burst, revealing bulblets, you can safely pull the garlic out of the ground.
2. Drying of leaves
You can also tell if the garlic is ripe by its leaves – if more than half of them have turned yellow, it’s time to grab a shovel.
3. Garlic heads
Finally, you always have the opportunity to pull one head out of the ground to assess its condition. Ripe garlic usually has a purple tint to its skin, or lightly tinged with red (depending on the variety).