Can garlic bulbs be harvested before the scapes show?

[danzeb]

They need air circulation. Hang them. Tie them in groups of 5 and hang each group. Alternative is lay them on chicken wire supported on a 2x4 frame or a box.

[TheNiceGuy]

Completely Dry and sunless and airy locations I don’t have. So I’m trying to compromise.
I’ve got one good place, but the late afternoon sun will scorch.

[marknmt]

Two alternatives that have worked for me:

One, lay them out in the field thatch-style, i.e., the fronds on one layer covering the bulbs of the next, and so on. Two, stand a couple of dozen up in large paper grocery bags, open at the top, and tend to them daily to make sure they all get a chance to get air. This way you can stand them up in the garage or shed and the dirt stays in the bags.

[TheNiceGuy]

How would you handle rain in the field?

[marknmt]

Well, with the grocery bags they can be inside. With the thatching I just hope for a few dry days! In fact, I think I came up with the paper bags because I couldn’t leave the crop outside.

Mind you, I only have a few dozen plants, and that would make a difference.

[Kellogg_Hill_Farms]

We always hang ours in bundles of 10 to 15. Keep out of the sun and out of the moisture. Let hang for about 3 weeks. Cut off tops and roots, brush off dirt with a stiff bristle brush, and place into storage bag or vessel.
Don’t try to rush the process or speed it up, that will only lead to loss or damaged goods.

We used to raise about 2000 sets a year and there really isn’t a more efficient way for us small producers. Now we have scaled back production as our market has dried up, but still raise a few hundred sets per year for personal use.

[Kellogg_Hill_Farms]

Answering the original posting, yes you can but you sacrifice size of the bulb. The scape is the flower stalk of the plant, and as the plant naturally wants to reproduce, it wants to push the flower. When you cut off the scape, all the energy that the plant would have put into growth of the scape and flower, then puts into the stores in the root, ie the bulb.

The variety that we grow was brought to the USA from Northern Italy in 1910 when my Great Grandfather immigrated here, bringing 5 pounds of garlic with him. We grow it and harvest it the same way that he did in Italy more than 100 years ago and because the variety is planted with cloves from that original variety, it is exactly the same as it was in Italy.

[TheNiceGuy]

Wow that’s quite the heritage story.

[TheNiceGuy]

I’ve got maybe 100 or 200 this year. I found a pretty good place to hang them, the only drawback is it gets some hot late afternoon sun. I’ve put shade cloth over top of most of it, although some of the leaves are getting hit with a bit of sun sometimes.

[Kellogg_Hill_Farms]

Looks like a good set up there. The main portion of the plant that you want to protect from the sun is the bulb. The sun hitting the leaves isn’t a big deal. The only issue I can see that you may have is that being upside down, moisture may be drawn into the stalk from the bulb and reduce the final size and weight of the bulb. If you aren’t selling these by the pound you should be OK. If you are selling these by weight I would lay them flat or flip them over to have the bulb down as to have gravity as your friend.

[TheNiceGuy]

Very interesting, thanks again!

[TheNiceGuy]

Well it’s been over 3 weeks, so I started cutting roots off and stems down to about 3” for storage. The center of the stems are still green and moist. Ok to cut and store like this?

[danzeb]

I would wait one more week.

[TheNiceGuy]

Thank you! Should the stem be stiff and crispy (able to snap off) before cutting?

[Kellogg_Hill_Farms]

The tops should be firm and not “squishy”. You should not be able to feel moisture in the stems

[TheNiceGuy]

Definitely still a bit green and moist on the inside.

[Kellogg_Hill_Farms]

If they were mine, I’d give them more time to dry. We typically harvest in late July, and the garlic hangs for almost a month before we clean and store it. Late July and August are our historically warmest months and the garlic will see 90* F temps for at least a week during that time.