Wash or not wash Garlic when harvesting?

Maybe there is a garlic topic, but I didn't find it, so.
To wash or not to wash. I learned to lift the bulbs as opposed to pulling them out because pulling stresses them. I didn't wash the bulbs and there is some soil in the short beards. Does anybody know a lot about garlic harvesting?



moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic

 

If you wash them do it immediately after taking them from the soil. Then they are still damp from the dirt, then hang to dry. Do not add water after they have started drying or it can cause the roots to regenerate and start the growth process again. I usually lay mine out on newspaper and let dry a bit then wipe with a paper towel to get excess dirt off before storing.

 

Garlic

Mart,, thanks for the advice. I will heed.


"Himself" came up with a unique drying system for this garlic harvest. He turned a cardboard box upside-down, punched holes in it, put the garlic in, stems down. I'm thinking they will dry just fine.

 

What a wonderful idea for drying garlic. I may have to borrow that one.

 

Mart, the garlic did real well in the box with holes. Of course, we would need boxes all over the place for the entire harvest!
I tried it with the few large onions we managed to grow and it works for them too.

 

I am going to use your suggestion next year. Bet your garden looks like you are growing a crop of those boxes. LOL Just thought of something,,,If you could get fruit crates, the wood and wire ones, you might just line the garlic/onions in the spaces between the wood on top. After they are dry just put them inside and store.

 

Wow. I envy all you folks that can store onions and garlic for long periods of time. It's just too warm here in the desert Southwest.

So, I freeze both garlic and onions. I also dehydrate a lot of onions. Since a little jar of garlic powder lasts me over a year, I just buy that at the store.

 

Prickly, you sure don't use as much garlic as we do.

 

Pricklypear,You mean its too hot in the winter? The southwest is usually colder than we are in Texas. I am like you Growingpains,,I can`t cook without garlic powder or fresh garlic.

 

since is see some garlic growers here may I ask when the best time to plant garlic cloves is? I think I heard in the fall is that right? Like september or October?

 

That is what most people do,,plant in the fall. I plant whenever I have cloves that get a bit old to use in cooking. They will start to sprout in the fridge and I just stick them in the ground then. If you dig them early before they fully mature and divide into separate cloves, they have a wonderful mild garlic flavor. Bulbs are like an onion but solid instead of layers. I just grate them into whatever dish I am preparing.

 

That sounds great. Are there some types that are better then others? Were would I find nice fresh cloves to plant? I dont have any nurseries or anything like that in the tiny town I live in.

 

riverrock, we grow garlic in Wisconsin is a good place to order from...lots of varieties...

http://www.wegrowgarlic.com/

growingpains, we don't wash our garlic after harvesting it...we just brush as much dirt off we can and hang it to cure...

 

Riverrock, I just get mine at the grocery store or market. Divide into cloves and plant away. It does just as well as any.

 

Thanks for the great replies! I will get some to plant this september

I did try to plant some last year but I planted in the spring and it grew really weird..it didnt make bubls just a bunch of individual clove plants??