…… As I’m prepping my own farm for an upcoming Garlic Festival that we’re hosting, it’s easy to say that I have garlic on my brain more often than not. I am getting questions about whether folks should pull their garlic and I sometimes have to curb my shock that their garlic is still in the ground. We pulled ours up weeks ago and here’s why.
In 2011, we harvested our garlic in the second week of July and lost a good 30% of it. When garlic is over-mature, the wrapper leaves that protect the inner cloves begin to either break open or tear as you’re harvesting. Although the garlic is still perfectly fine to eat, it will not store over the winter.
You’ve probably seen this yourself when you break open garlic to use in the kitchen. The first few cloves are lovely and juicy but if it takes you a while to finish off the bulb, the last ones can sometimes be a bit shriveled. Still usable, but for us, unsellable.
So how do you avoid this problem? A garlic farmer in Richmond once told me a wonderful way to tell when your hardneck garlic is ready to pull. When it’s time to harvest the scapes (the curly flower heads that come out of the center of the plant), leave one or two on the plants. As they grow and mature, they begin to uncurl. When they’re standing straight up, the garlic is ready to go!
So if your garlic is still in the ground, do pull it out. You’ll need that space for all your winter veggies! That’s where I’m planting my winter cabbage, broccoli & cauliflower. Your garlic will store much better and you can begin enjoying your flavourful bounty.
P.S. This week, we’re planting cilantro. Planting short rows, a week apart, will ensure that you’ll have enough cilantro for your salsas, curries and stir-fries. I continue to plant cilantro well into September and they grow beautifully in the cooler evenings of late summer.
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