The accompanying photo shows the first garlic I've harvested this spring. Earlier today, I posted the variety as 'Mount Hood', but that was wrong. The variety is, alas, unknown.
This message was edited May 5, 2014 2:16 PM
Garlic Harvest Begins
Nice looking!
You are ahead of my Willy. I cut off all the scapes Monday (hardneck varieties) and perhaps will harvest those hardnecks in a week or so. The softnecks and Creoles will be dug up a week or two later. Everything will have to be cured for a couple of weeks in my "Everything Else" greenhouse. The greenhouse is ideal for this. I can hang all the garlic, I have fans going to move the air, and it is hot and dry but is shaded with 75% shade cloth. Then I can put 8-10 pounds away for myself and market the rest.
Ken
kirkkr--This is the only variety I have harvested so far, the rest won't be ready for a week...or two...or three. I think it is garlic from two German Extra Hardy bulbs that I saved from last year, but I am not certain. It is a hardneck for sure.
I am very much looking forward to your Creole garlics.
OK, that all makes sense. You are about on the same schedule as I. I could go ahead and harvest my hardnecks, but we got a heavy rain early this AM and it is supposed to continue raining off and on into the evening. I may dig mine up Sunday after the ground dries out a bit.
Ken
I just dug up and hung for curing three varieties of hardneck garlic. It is somewhat hard to judge the weight of the bulbs since all the tops are still there, but my guess would be 15-20 lbs. of garlic will be ready to go out in a couple of weeks. I have another 60-75 bulbs (8-10 lb.?) of two of the varieties I dug up that are still in the ground. I will leave them for a week, dig them up, and see if there was any advantage in leaving them for that additional time. I haven't yet dug up any of the softneck or Creole garlic. Perhaps next week or the following week will be the time for that. Everything is on schedule and the garlic (so far) looks good.
Mine isn't quite ready yet, the tops are just starting to die.
Did you plant hardnecks, Nicole?
No, softnecks. Broadleaf Czech and Lorz Italian. I seem to be on track for my normal early June harvest date.
OK, you will actually be pretty close to the same schedule as I. Hardnecks come in earlier. You are growing two varieties that I have never grown.
Ken