How to harvest garlic? Master these technical key points

1. Harvesting garlic scapes

Garlic scape harvesting is highly time-sensitive; once they have grown, they must be harvested promptly. Timely harvesting of garlic scapes can ease the competition for nutrients between the scapes and the garlic bulbs, makes the scapes tender in texture, and also promotes rapid bulb swelling. From differentiation to harvest, garlic scapes generally need 40-45 days, and from emergence to harvest about 15 days; the best harvest time for garlic scapes is when the spathe turns white. The morphological signs of mature garlic scapes are: when the scape bends into an arch, the portion of the scape axis above the point where it contacts the second-to-last leaf turns light yellow by 4-5 cm. Scapes should be picked from noon on a sunny day until 3 p.m.

2. Harvesting garlic bulbs

Harvesting garlic bulbs too early not only reduces yield but also makes them less storable; harvesting too late easily causes the bulbs to blacken and split. The suitable time for harvesting garlic bulbs is 20 days after the garlic scapes are harvested. The morphological signs of mature garlic bulbs are: most of the plant's leaves are withered, the tips of the upper leaves are withered and drooping, and the lower part of the plant is soft; at this point they should be harvested promptly. After harvesting, the garlic bulbs should be dried promptly, and strictly protected from rain.