Pulling up garlic
Torg22
Posts: 302
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I understand it's hard to tell exactly from a small photo but would you say my garlic is ready to be pulled up?. Lower leaves have now gone brown.
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Torg22
Posts: 302
Torg22
Posts: 302
Posts
Do not pull up. Dig it up.
Yes that what I meant. I didnt pull this up.
If you intend to eat it as green garlic then you can dig it up as and when you want it. The bulb has formed quite well from what I can see so it is fine to do that from now on.
I don't know how much you have or whether it's hard neck or soft neck garlic. The rule generally with soft neck, which stores quite well just dried (the sort of garlic you buy in shops with a white papery skin), is to wait until the top leaves have pretty much all turned yellow and then dig them up. With hard neck garlic, it usually produces a flower head, which you need to snip off, then wait until the leaves start to turn yellow - normally a couple of weeks later - and then dig it up. It doesn't store so well but you can freeze it or (I prefer) pickle it.
A lot of purists make a big fuss about getting the exact moment to harvest perfectly right and if you're growing it commercially or on a very large scale, you probably need to. It does affect it's storing capability but not the flavour, so I wouldn't get too hung up on it. If you need it now, dig it up. If the leaves begin to flop over, dig it all up. If the bulbs are a size you're happy with and the leaves are about half yellow, dig it all up. If any bulbs begin to rot in the ground, definitely dig it all up.
Thankyou raisin girl. Your response is much appreciated.