It's getting close to garlic harvest (trennie's post on the stock thread reminded me to ask here).

I have never harvested garlic before (nor grown it, duh)...The seed heads have formed (they look like lovely swan's necks) and the leaves are starting to turn brown. I have heard that it's best to harvest with a few green leaves left (keeps the cloves cleaner; apparently they don't let dirt in at that point). ??? Is it necessary to push the stems over to hasten the process?

Have any of you braided your garlic? I want to. I have both hardneck and softneck varieties.

Any tips about long-term storage? I understand coolish, lower humidity works best (hard to find lower humidity around here!). I have way too much to pickle or put up.

Those of you with some more experience, could you please help out? Thanks!!!

-- Anonymous, July 20, 2002

Answers

I always remove those flower stalks when they form so that the plant does not expend energy in seed production and thus you get bigger bulbs. Too late now I guess but maybe think on it for next year. If most leaves are brown I'd dig one up and see how its done to determine whether the rest are ready to dig up. Good luck, sheepish.

-- Anonymous, July 20, 2002

Thanks! I have heard removing the seed heads helps, too. I have also heard it doesn't really matter (?). I think you're right, though. Anyway I'm probably going to harvest garlic next week. This weeks it's peas, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, and the rest of the radishes. I have plenty to keep me busy. Yikes! Doncha love this time of year?????

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2002

Hi, Sheepish, my hon does the garlic bit; I don't know about the seed heads, but she does braid the garlic, and hangs it in the pantry, which stays pretty cool and dry. We have fresh garlic all year, actually. She does two plantings, though some of our friends do only one. Don't know why the difference, and she's not here to ask right now.

We have pretty dry climate here in the summer; winter is WAY different, but I don't think the humidity is very high inside the house, since it's heated.

Sheepish, don't you have low humidity in the summer?

-- Anonymous, July 22, 2002

Joj, I'm not sure what low humidity is! These days, I think it's in the 50s and 60s. Is that low?

I think I'm going to buy next year's hay asap. The forecast is for no rain for the next 6 weeks. It's hotter'n hell out (97 in the parking lot this afternoon at work...and my car WOULDN'T START! GRRRRR..... Anyway, Mr. S. rescued me (very long story)). The grass in the pasture is drying up fast. While the sheep could eat the dried grass (standing hay, I guess), I'm leary of combustible stuff. Maybe better get hay.

Re: garlic: The way things are going, I'd best harvest pretty soon. I think I'll sell some braids at church. This week, the eggs I brought from home were sold before I even got into the building! Maybe garlic (and at the rate it's growing, lettuce too) will sell as well. I sell for cheap and my church buddies love getting fresh stuff!

Keep clam (as Ivar would say)....(Puget Sound joke?)...

-- Anonymous, July 22, 2002

sheepish, I get the "Keep Clam"........cute! And I surely remember Ivar's....oh that wood cooked Salmon, yum yum!!

Those leaves that garlic sends out to form seed heads.......arent they what is called garlic snapes? Our CSA cut them off before they form heads and put them in our produce bags, and they were wonderful in stir-fries!

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2002