How and when to harvest garlic planted before winter: harvest dates and storage rules for winter garlic. Harvesting times and storage methods for garlic When it’s time to pull out the garlic

A frequent guest on the table, especially in the autumn-winter period. Having a pungent taste and strong smell, it is a must-have addition to meat dishes, sauces and salads. happens and .

It is very simple to distinguish these varieties from each other - in the head of winter garlic there are 5-6 cloves, and in the center there is a false stem; in the head of spring garlic there are many cloves (10-20 pieces), there is no false stem.

Another main difference is the planting time of these. Winter crops are planted in late autumn, closer to winter, and spring crops - no later than mid-spring. Let's talk in more detail about when to harvest plants planted in the fall.

When to clean

It has been proven that the moon is an assistant in agricultural affairs; by listening to the biorhythms of nature, you can harvest garlic without delay, while maintaining its quality for a long time.

So, garlic harvesting lies ahead of us, let's find out when to collect winter garlic. lunar calendar:

• In July 2018 better days for collection from will be: 5-7, 15-16, 19-20, 23-24.
• In August 2018, the best times to collect are 1-3, 11-12, 15-16, 29-30.

Important!To remove excess moisture in the place where garlic is stored, you need to pour coarse table salt into the container with it. It will remove excess moisture.

How to dig correctly

If you have determined that yours is not ripe, and the lunar calendar suggests the day to dig up winter garlic, pay attention to the weather outside the window. It should be dry and sunny.

Dig out the garlic with a shovel or pitchfork. The latter help to do this more carefully and avoid injury to the heads. The garlic is dug up and left to dry. There is no need to trim the foliage. As the garlic dries, it will take nutrients from the tops. Drying time is approximately 5 days. However, if there is bad weather outside, this is not a reason to put off digging up garlic.

In this case, it is dug up, but dried in a dry room with good ventilation. Drying time is 7-10 days.

Proper storage after harvest

After digging up the garlic and then drying it in the sun, it should be carefully shaken off the clods of earth and the roots should be trimmed, leaving a length of 3-5 mm. The tops and leaves are trimmed to a length of approximately 10 mm.

Throughout the growing season, the upper leaf part of the plant accumulates solar energy into carbohydrates through photosynthesis. At the end of summer, perennial garlic prepares for a dormant period, so outflow occurs nutrients to the bulb.

It is very risky to wait until the bulbs reach maximum size. After this, the evolutionary process begins without delay - the outer scales become thinner, the head breaks up into individual cloves. This garlic can be used in the kitchen; it cannot be stored.

In front of the gardener stands not an easy task- determine the very moment when “tomorrow will be too late.” General recommendations Finding this fine line will not help, since the timing of garlic’s readiness for harvesting depends on many factors:

• varieties - winter or spring;
• belonging to the group of early, mid-season, late varieties;
• region of growth.

One-year-old garlic grown from “airs” or “bulbs” is not always chosen for the winter - there are three-year cycles of growing full heads without annual sampling and planting in the ground.

The main problem: it is difficult, looking at the garden bed, to assess the condition of the bulbs with one inspection. You can dig up several bushes every day if there is a large area of ​​plantings. On a typical summer cottage plot of 6 acres, the garden bed occupies an area of ​​several square meters.

To select the right moment, it is advisable to use other methods based on the experience and knowledge of professional agronomists.

Natural factors and timing of cleaning

Every summer, the question of harvesting time is raised again and again. The biological cycle of the garlic plant has a very short period of time, no more than 1 week, when a fully ripe bulb does not yet crumble into cloves.

These few days need to be calculated so that harvested after drying, it successfully retained its quality for the required period:

• winter garlic - until December/January;
• spring - until the new harvest in June next year.

Professional agronomists know that the growing season is just over 100 days. At the same time, winter garlic there is a long period (all winter months) for the leisurely development of a powerful root system. This explains the high yield of winter varieties.

Knowing the date of planting of cloves or emergence of seedlings, it is easy to approximately determine the time of harvesting.

The length of the growing season depends on the region, the location of the bed, soil composition and other factors. It turns out that you need to focus on the tabulated dates taking into account local factors.

A bed of garlic on a heated southern slope will be ready for harvesting 1 week earlier than a bed of the same variety on a plot without a slope. Similarly, the ripening of bulbs on loam and sandy loam soils is accelerated - they are better warmed up by the sun.

Cold, wet summers shift harvest time to autumn. It is advisable that there is no watering or rain 2 weeks before harvesting, since wet soil colder than dry soil. Even a slight temperature difference affects the cleaning time.

How to judge maturity by appearance

The first sign of garlic maturity is the drying of the lower tier of leaves. To get a more detailed picture, you need to dig up several bushes from different parts of the bed (along the edges and from the middle). Appearance of the plant head - best criterion to assess the degree of maturity and readiness of a crop for harvesting, these are:

• large juicy cloves with dense scales;
• dried out covering on the bulb.

For successful storage Garlic should not be left in the garden for harvest. The shell becomes thinner and the head crumbles into individual cloves. This garlic is only suitable for processing or planting in the ground, but not for storage.

A plant that is not mature enough for harvesting has soft scales and succulent integumentary membranes. When dried and stored, it quickly withers and is not stored for long - half the allotted time.

For daily consumption, for seaming and pickling cucumbers/tomatoes, the plant is taken from the garden, regardless of the degree of ripeness. Only ripe and well-dried garlic is suitable for winter storage.

In the video, the author shows what garlic bulbs that can be collected from the garden should look like.

When is it time to dig up garlic from the garden?

Ripening time depends on summer temperature and the number of rainy and cloudy days. IN middle lane Harvesting of winter varieties occurs in late July - early August, spring varieties ripen a little later, in a month. At the specified time, several heads are dug up for testing.

The head is dense to the touch, the ripened dense scales on the teeth, the outer shells of the bulb are dry, the teeth are easily separated when pressed: it’s time to remove the garlic from the garden.

Winter garlic - signs of readiness for harvesting

There are methods that allow you to assess the condition of the underground bulb by appearance spring garlic bush:

1. 4-5 lower leaves have turned yellow and dried out. The arrow usually forms above the ninth leaf - half of the nutrients have already flowed into the bulb, the second half will go into the head during the drying process.
2. The “control” arrows straightened and “looked into the sky.”
3. The integumentary membrane on the shoots is a little torn, but the inflorescence has not yet opened.

The methods are very clear, but checking several heads before mass sampling of garlic from the garden will not be superfluous.

External signs of readiness for harvesting spring varieties

It's much easier with summer garlic. The ripening of the head of a spring variety appears externally as in onions- in lodging of stems.

If the tops lie unevenly, you can speed up the ripening of individual bulbs with a simple trick. Near the neck, soil is raked to such a depth that the top of the bulb is visible.

Bulbs - when to remove single teeth

When planting bulbs the next year at the beginning of summer, one-toothed bulbs are formed - round bulbs without division (hence the name). The single cloves of winter garlic are ready for harvesting much earlier than the heads. They should be dug up as soon as the greenery begins to fall, otherwise, after the stem dries, it will be very difficult to find a round gray onion about 1 cm in diameter in the soil.

Cleaning dates - calendars and signs

Harvesting has long been associated with the usual astronomical and lunar calendars. Vegetable growers are convinced in practice that cultivated plants vegetable gardens are influenced by the moon and tidal cycles are characteristic not only of the world's oceans.

When the Moon is waning, there is an outflow of nutritious juices to the roots - this best time for harvesting garlic for storage. After proper drying This garlic will be perfectly stored for the entire period of time.

We clean it correctly - we store it for a long time

After checking the “control” roots, it became clear that the garlic was ripe. The rules for cleaning for storage are very logical and simple:

Garlic harvested in due time is perfectly stored: winter until January, and spring until early summer. Spring garlic with its soft pliable stems is woven into braids, winter garlic is knitted into bundles. This is not only a storage method - an element of folk style brings coziness to the design of an urban kitchen.

Growing garlic is not a difficult task, but it has its own peculiarities. They should be known and taken into account so that your garlic grows and tastes good. Today we will talk about when garlic is harvested for storage.

First of all, you need to distinguish garlic by planting time. It is planted both in spring and autumn. Moreover, in the spring you can only plant, and in the fall - both spring and winter (arrowing). So, let's find out how to know when to harvest garlic.

When to harvest winter (winter) garlic?

Harvest garlic is harvested approximately 100-110 days after the first shoots appear. Depending on the climatic conditions in the region this occurs at the beginning or end of July. For example, in Ukraine and central Russia, people have an unspoken rule: winter garlic is harvested on July 12, on Orthodox holiday apostles Peter and Paul. By this time it will be fully formed and ready for storage. You should not delay harvesting garlic, otherwise it will “overstay” in the ground and will not be stored well. However ahead of schedule It's not worth cleaning it up. All garlic should be harvested in dry weather. Otherwise, garlic heads dug out of wet soil will rot, and the entire crop will quickly deteriorate.

Garlic should be removed from the soil carefully, being careful not to damage its roots. It is advisable to use a small garden shovel or fork for this. The soil from the roots needs to be shaken off, and then the garlic should be spread out on the bed to dry. If your nights are damp or cool, then it is better to move the garlic indoors at night. It takes 2-3 days. Or you can bring the harvested crop under a canopy and hang it there.

Wait until the garlic is completely dry before cutting off the roots and stems. The fact is that the beneficial substances from them continue to “flow” into the bulb until the plant dries out. The roots are cut off almost completely, and a stalk 10-15 cm long is left from the stem. However, this measure is not necessary: ​​if you store the garlic tied into braids, the stems do not need to be shortened.

Store winter garlic in a cool, dark and dry place. You can hang it or put it in a box. Monitor the room temperature: do not allow it to be too high. Then the garlic bulbs will begin to sprout, and such a plant will no longer be suitable for food. However, keep in mind: garlic will not last long. It is recommended to eat the winter garlic harvest or use it for preservation before the beginning of autumn, when it begins to deteriorate. Then spring garlic is used for food, which will be stored all winter.

When to harvest spring garlic planted in autumn?

The rules for collecting such garlic are similar to those listed in the previous section. But the timing will differ. Spring garlic is harvested when winter garlic is already harvested, 3-4 weeks later. This usually happens in August.

However, the weather is changeable, and sometimes the plant itself signals that it is time to dig it up. If its leaves have turned yellow or are completely dead, and the arrow (inflorescence with small cloves) is cracked, then the garlic is ready for harvesting. Strong, dry scales will also be a signal of its ripening - you will see it if you carefully dig up one of the bulbs to check.

If this year’s harvest is stored for a long time and does not spoil, and its taste remains high, it means that you harvested the garlic on time and stored it correctly. Remember under what conditions this was done, and next year you will not have problems with this.

As you can see, growing and harvesting garlic is not difficult at all. if you have country cottage area, be sure to plant garlic on it. It will make your dishes tastier and healthier.

A specific taste with a spicy bitterness is the highlight of garlic, which, according to historians, earned people's love more than 5 thousand years ago. This vegetable of the bulbous family is indispensable in cooking, medicine and even farming. The agricultural technology for cultivating an annual crop is not at all complicated, but in order for the garlic to be stored well and remain juicy and aromatic longer, every gardener tries to choose right time harvesting garlic beds.

Garlic as a vegetable crop

Grow it herbaceous plant in almost all climatic zones our country. Garlic feels best in sunny, well-fertilized beds.

In Rus', garlic was nicknamed “combed onion” for its long leaves that fall into strands, and for the cloves that, as they ripen, split into the onion head.

The annual crop can be recognized by its narrow foliage, elongated upward, and dense umbrella inflorescences covered with a whitish shell.

Garlic reaches 35–40 cm in height.

Both the greens and the cloves that form in the onion are suitable for food. Garlic is a herbaceous plant of the Allium family, which has pronounced bactericidal properties. Its stems, leaves and cloves when cut have an unusual pungent aroma and pungent taste due to the content of sulfide group substances. This culture has always been endowed healing properties

for the high content of phytoncides and essential oils.

How long does garlic grow? The average growing season for bulbous plants is 3–4 months, if adjustments are made country life In practice, two types of garlic are cultivated - winter and spring.

1. Winter - the growing season of the plant is 85–100 days from the moment of emergence, stored for 6–8 months. It has a false stem in the center, the head consists of 4–6 cloves (up to 50 g).
2. Spring - the moment of ripening occurs after 110–125 days. May contain from 8 to 20 small cloves (10–20 g each), no false stem.

This is what a head of ripe winter (left) and spring garlic (right) looks like

When the Garlic Harvest is Ready to Harvest

The growing season of winter and spring differs by only 2–3 weeks, but the harvesting time depends on the degree of maturity and varietal characteristics of the crop.

1. First of all, by external signs you can understand that the garlic is already ripe.

   The lower leaves dry out and become thin and limp. Drying out lower leaves

2. garlic indicate its ripening

   The tips of the remaining leaves turn yellow and curl.

3. At the end of the growing season, the green foliage of garlic loses its juiciness, the plant looks wilted
4. The stem becomes less elastic and droops.

   The arrows, which are curled into spirals until maturity, on the contrary, become straightened and become coarser.

5. Garlic shoots in early summer (left) are usually curled into a spiral that straightens out as they ripen (right)

   The thin shell on the airy inflorescences partially dries out and bursts.

Seeds have appeared from the cracks of the garlic bulb - it’s time to dig up the garlic

• Harvesting the garlic beds is preceded by the following manipulations:
• a month before digging, the shoots on the plant are cut off (1-2 control ones are left to determine maturity);
• 2 weeks before the start of harvesting, stop watering;

if there is mulch on the beds, it should be removed 20–25 days before the garlic is fully ripened.

The beds, freed from mulch and dried soil, are a guarantee that the garlic bulbs will be clean and neat, they will not have to be thoroughly cleaned and dried for a long time

It is recommended to loosen the garlic planting next (2-3 weeks before harvesting). According to many summer residents, this improves air exchange in the soil and speeds up the ripening process by several days. On rough soil (chernozem, loam), thanks to this procedure, the garlic heads dry out and are subsequently easier to peel, which simplifies harvesting.

The older generation in my family (grandfather and great-grandfather) always determined the ripeness of garlic “by the tooth,” although many now would laugh at such a manner. But the degree of ripening was always guessed accurately if the teeth in the scales were dense and did not crack the first time. Another point: when winter garlic ripened, it became “angrier”, and the juice released from the cut cloves was stickier than that of a young plant.

In our village, the Orthodox holiday of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (July 12) has always been a kind of border, which was considered to be the end of the growing season of garlic planted before winter. And they tried to dig up the spring crop before the Dormition of the Virgin Mary (August 28). It’s still the same way: I look at the external signs of garlic ripeness and at the calendar.

Video: how to tell if garlic is ripe

Harvest time for winter garlic

Since this is a shooting species, among other signs, the degree of maturation is always noticeable by the air bulbs located at the tops of the shoots. The “bulbs” located inside “sit” more loosely, their shell becomes darker and harder to the touch.

• In the underground bulb of ripened winter garlic, the scales become dense and rough, acquiring a violet-pearl shade. If the garlic head easily separates into cloves when broken, it means the garlic is on the verge of overripening.

Video: when to harvest winter garlic

When does spring garlic ripen?

Garlic planted in spring sometimes remains green and juicy until frost. It is easier to determine its degree of maturity by the dug up head: the scales become coarser and acquire a dirty white tint; the teeth are fully formed and clearly visible through the multilayer protective shell.

• Partial lodging of the stem and dryness of the plant neck indicate the end of the growing season.

Video: spring garlic: how to determine maturity and when is the best time to store it

General principles for drying dug up garlic: the heads are cleaned of the upper damaged scales, the roots are shortened to 2–3 cm, the stems are shortened to 5–7 cm and left in a well-ventilated area for a week: tied in bundles with twine - suspended, individual heads are laid loosely in wooden boxes.

Garlic harvesting dates by region

Most gardeners begin harvesting spicy crops closer to mid-summer. Regardless of climatic conditions, when spring came late and was followed by a hot, dry summer, garlic was harvested 7–10 days later. If the summer turns out to be rainy, it is better to dig up the garlic a week earlier. Do not forget that early ripening varieties are harvested 10–14 days earlier than late ripening ones.

While the weather permits, it is better to remove garlic from the beds; do not wait until the heads rot and the cloves begin to fall apart

Many summer residents often rely on the lunar calendar. It is recommended to start harvesting garlic at any time except the full moon and new moon.

Regional climate characteristics also make adjustments to the timing of garlic harvesting.

When is garlic harvested in the Moscow region?

Traditionally, winter varieties in the Moscow region are dug from July 12 to July 30. After 1.5–2 weeks, they begin harvesting early spring garlic; late-ripening varieties are harvested a week later.

Harvesting garlic in the Black Earth Region and the Volga region

The timing of harvesting garlic beds in Central Russia is practically no different from the Moscow region. As a rule, the first harvest of garlic planted in winter is dug up starting on July 10. Harvesting of spring garlic begins on the 20th of August and continues until September 10–15.

Garlic harvesting dates in the southern regions

Despite the fact that in the south of our country (Crimea, Caucasus region) the summer season begins early, winter garlic ripens no earlier than July 5–10. Early varieties spring varieties begin to be dug from the first ten days of August, late ones - 7–10 days later, until the end of September. Spring garlic is often dug up before harvesting carrots and beets.

When the garlic harvest is ready for harvest in Siberia and the Far East

In the northern regions, winter garlic fully ripens in the last ten days of July, in cool summers - in early August (if you go by dacha forums). They begin to dig up spring crops from mid-August and continue until the second ten days of September, anticipating the first frosts.

When choosing the moment to harvest from garlic beds, it is better to focus on the overall signs of maturity of the bulbous head and the weather forecast - these are the main indicators. The approximate ripening time for winter garlic varies by region by 2–3 weeks, while spring garlic is dug up depending on the planting date. The main thing not to forget is that this vegetable cannot be kept in the garden beds. By following the harvesting rules, you can save garlic heads until next spring.

Signs of head maturation

Garlic ripens very evenly. Signs of maturation are:

• yellowing of the lower leaves;
• drying of the outer films and their acquisition of a color characteristic of the variety;
• easy separation of cloves;
• straightening of arrows, previously rolled into rings, in shooting varieties;
• cracking of boxes with bulbs;
• tops lodging.

These signs are an indicator of technical maturity, when the processes of bulb formation are not yet completed and end after harvesting.

Cracking of the heads (physiological maturity) indicates that the cloves are ready to germinate and the crop needs to be harvested urgently. But this is not always a sign of maturity. Often even unripe heads crack when planting garlic after potatoes.

Garlic harvesting time

Harvesting time depends on the method of growing the crop.

The cleaning time is affected by weather conditions. In cold, damp summers, harvest ripening is delayed by 5-10 days.
Garlic cannot be harvested too early, as it will not store well. When harvested late, the heads fall apart into individual cloves. Optimal time occurs when the arrows straighten and the inflorescence box begins to open. If there are no arrows, then they focus on the tops: when they fall down, they begin harvesting.

The ripening time of garlic heads can be increased or decreased using various agricultural practices.

Pre-harvest activities to improve crop quality

2 weeks before technical maturity, the arrows straighten, the garlic stops growing, and the bulbs begin to fill. At this time, the leaves are crushed or tied in a knot to enhance the outflow of nutrients from the stems and leaves to the heads. In this case, the ripening period increases by 10-14 days. If the summer is very rainy, then this technique is not used, since long-term exposure of the heads to wet soil leads to them being affected by fungal diseases.

When the inflorescences begin to straighten, the soil from the bulbs is raked halfway so that there is air access to the cloves. It is especially necessary to do this in wet weather. If this is not done, then due to the increased moisture content in the soil, the penetration of air to the roots becomes difficult. The cloves begin to experience oxygen starvation and die as a result. This phenomenon is called soaking. Raking the soil promotes normal respiration of the bulbs and accelerates their formation by 3-5 days.

When to remove garlic from the garden, drying garlic

When the tops fall down and begin to dry, the plants are dug up. You cannot delay harvesting, since mature garlic germinates easily. You can't harvest garlic after it rains. It is unacceptable to pull plants out of the ground, as this can damage the bulb. The dug up heads are left in the air for 5-6 hours so that they ventilate and dry. At night, the harvest is stored in the barn.

Garlic is dried along with the tops for 12-15 days in sheds or attics, laying it out in 1-2 layers. In sunny, dry weather, the boxes are taken out into the open air.

Plants dry very well and quickly in a greenhouse where there are ideal conditions for drying. The boxes with the harvest are placed in a greenhouse and left for 8-10 days. The plants are turned over from time to time so that the lower heads are on top. The greenhouse is left open even at night. Properly dried garlic has an elastic stem that bends well, but does not break.

Plants with arrows are left on the beds for 7-10 days after harvesting the main crop. When the flower stalks begin to turn yellow, they are cut, tied into bunches and dried in the shade for 20-25 days. During this time, the bulbs will fill up, become much larger and acquire a color corresponding to the variety.

Preparation for storage

At the end of drying, the bulbs are cleared of soil, the roots and stems are cut off and stored.

Clearing the ground consists in removing 1-2 layers of integumentary scales. You should not remove more layers, as they protect the head of garlic from excess moisture evaporation during storage. If you remove too many scales, then after 1-2 months the cloves will begin to dry out.

Root pruning. The roots are cut at a distance of 2-5 mm from the bottom, and the remaining ends are singed. This prevents the cloves from sprouting during storage and the heads being damaged by barn pests. U seed material the roots do not burn.

Tops trimming. Dry tops are cut off, leaving a neck of 2-3 cm. If the garlic is stored in braids, then 30-40 cm of the stem are left, if in bunches - then 15-20 cm.

Peduncles with aerial bulbs are tied into bunches and stored separately.

General rules for storing garlic

Ideally dry bulbs are stored for storage. They are stored in a dark place at a temperature of 3 to 22°C and a humidity of no more than 70% in places where there is no strong air circulation.

Methods for preserving crops in a private house and in a city apartment are different. Garlic is best stored at low positive temperatures (3-6°C) in a cellar or attic where conditions are close to optimal.

In apartments, the crop is preserved well at 18-22°C closed space without drafts. Bulbs should not be stored in rooms with high humidity (kitchens, bathrooms) or in places where the air temperature is above 22°C (near radiators, on cabinets, mezzanines). Most suitable place are the lower shelves of cabinets in the hallway or pantry, where the temperature and humidity are not too high.

You won’t be able to store garlic in the refrigerator even if you want to, because it’s very high humidity. The heads quickly become damp and rot or mold. The maximum shelf life of garlic in the refrigerator is 7-10 days.

Cracked heads will last no more than a month. Since the cloves are not protected by a common integumentary scale, the process of respiration and evaporation is very intense, and they dry out quickly. They must be used first.

The shelf life of winter garlic is 6-8 months (depending on the variety), spring garlic - 8-10 months. During this period, the bulbs are immersed in a state of natural biological dormancy. At the end of the dormant period, metabolic processes in the cloves intensify, preparing for the beginning of the growing season. Therefore, the greatest difficulties arise in the second half of the crop’s shelf life. At this time, the heads are stored either at a temperature of 0-2°C (garlic germinates at +3°C), or at +20°C and above (with too much high temperature germination of cloves slows down).

How to store garlic

There are several ways to preserve garlic:

• in braids, wreaths, buns;
• in nets and baskets;
• in linen bags;
• in boxes, boxes;
• in banks.

It is good to store garlic in braids, bundles, baskets, nets if you have a barn, attic or at least a dry basement. Storage in jars is suitable for apartments. Other storage methods are suitable for both a private house and an apartment.

Storing garlic in braids.

This is the most common way to preserve garlic. Braids take up little space, and it is easier to control the occurrence of spoilage with this storage method.
When storing in braids after drying, leave 30-40 cm of tops. To weave a braid, you need a strong thin rope, twine or flexible wire.

Braiding technique.

Take 3 heads and tie them at the base with a rope. This results in four ends: three stems and a rope, which, when weaving, must always be intertwined with one of the stems.
Make the initial binding.
Then, after each weave, a new head is added to the braid.

The braids should not be very long, otherwise they will break under their own weight. You can braid garlic like a wreath, twisting the stem around the neck of the previous head. Store braids and wreaths in sheds at a temperature of 3-6°C or in an apartment closet (at 18-22°C). But in an apartment, garlic braided into braids does not last long. To prevent braids and wreaths from falling apart, the heads are not pulled out along with the tops, but cut off, then the stem remains inside and the braid does not fall apart.

You can simply tie the heads into a bunch of 15-20 pieces and hang them in the barn or attic. You cannot hang braids in the kitchen for long-term storage.

Storage in baskets and nets

The bulbs are laid in 3-4 layers; if there is high humidity in the storage room, then they are poured onion skins. The baskets are placed in a dark place, the nets are hung on the wall. The crop is preserved better in baskets than in nets.

Storage in linen bags

Garlic is placed in bags made of natural fabrics and sprinkled with salt to protect it from moisture. The bags are placed on pallets or the bottom shelves of boxes close to each other.

Storage in boxes and boxes

Boxes and crates should have holes to allow for slight air circulation. The garlic is laid out in 3-4 layers; in rooms with high humidity, each layer is sprinkled with salt. Upper layer The heads are covered with salt to a depth of 1-2 cm. The salt absorbs excess moisture and prevents the heads from rotting and molding.

Storing garlic in a jar with salt.

Storing garlic in jars

Unpeeled garlic is placed in glass jars. Small bulbs Place whole, large ones are divided into cloves. The jar is closed with thick paper or a perforated nylon lid. This best way preserving garlic in a city apartment.

Storing bulbs

If the seeds are sowed in the spring, then the dried arrows with bolls are tied into bunches and stored in a barn at 2-4 °C. In the apartment they can be stored on an insulated balcony. Place gauze bags over the inflorescence to prevent the bulbs from falling off. 2 months before planting, aerial bulbs are separated from the peduncle, cleaned of impurities and stored in bulk at a temperature of 12-15°C.

Additional means used for storing garlic

In addition to the above, there are other ways to preserve crops, but they are used relatively rarely due to their labor intensity.

The main goal with any storage method is to preserve the juiciness and freshness of the cloves for as long as possible and to prevent damage to the harvest.

Possible problems when storing garlic

Main problems encountered during storage:

• molding and rotting of heads;
• drying of the cloves;
• color change;
• germination;
• damage by barn pests (root and flour mites).

Mold and rotting of the crop occurs due to high humidity air. It is necessary to sort, remove damaged bulbs, dry the rest for 5-6 days near a radiator or on mezzanines and put them in dry room. If the air humidity is high, then sprinkle the remaining garlic with salt.

Drying garlic cloves. In winter varieties, natural drying occurs towards the end of the storage period. It can be slowed down for several weeks by wrapping the heads in cling film. If the garlic begins to dry long before the end of the period, then the reason is too dry air. The heads can be placed in the refrigerator for several days, where the respiration processes slow down. But you don't need to keep them there for too long, otherwise they will become damp and rot. To prevent further drying, the bulbs are treated with paraffin or wrapped in cling film.

Changing the color of the teeth at the base on yellow is an indicator of damage by stem nematodes. In summer, the pest lays eggs in the bottom of plants and the soil around them. Garlic infected with nematode eggs does not store well. They sort it out, separate the diseased heads from the healthy ones and burn them. All seed material, even if no pest damage is detected in it, must be treated with an insecticide, then dried and continued to be stored under the same conditions.

Germination. The cloves that begin to sprout are cleaned and filled vegetable oil. In this form they can be stored for a very long time. You can cauterize the bottom with fire, but if the process has already begun, then it cannot be stopped. Sprouted cloves lose their firmness and elasticity and are unsuitable for consumption.

Damage by barn pests is extremely rare. Garlic is mainly affected by root and flour mites. Pests penetrate the clove through the bottom and feed on its juices. The bottom gradually becomes rotten and falls off. If there is a risk of infection, sprinkle the garlic with powdered chalk during storage. If infection is detected during storage, the heads are placed in an oven preheated to 100°C for 1-1.5 minutes. After this, the bulbs are sorted, those affected by mites are selected and burned.

There are several ways to preserve garlic. This way you can avoid significant problems and determine which storage method is best.