Harvesting Garlic, Onions and Shallots
The garlic has been harvested and is ready to dry . . .
When the tops of the alliums (garlic, onions and shallots) turn brown and fall over, it is time to harvest. Today I dug up the garlic and shallot bulbs. Tomorrow, I’ll dig up the onions.
These shallots are ready to harvest!
The harvesting is especially easy to do with the moist soil from the plentiful rains we’ve been having this month! I dig up the bulbs with my long-handled trowel and wipe off most of the clinging soil. Then I place them in a flat or tray in a single layer to air dry in a warm place outdoors with good air circulation. Farmers often let their garlic “cure” in the field, but I put mine on the screened porch, where I know they are safe and sound.
After a week or two, when the tops and roots are crispy dry, I’ll be able to brush off any remaining soil, trim the roots and tops, and store the garlic for future use.
I grew so many garlic bulbs this year, I’ve decided to make garlic braids to give as gifts from the garden. I won’t trim the dried leaves off of those bulbs, but rather braid them together - just like I used to braid my daughter’s hair.
It is not traditional, but I often braid my onion bulbs, too. I hang the braids in the garage until I’m ready to cut the individual onions off for cooking. In late winter, some of the bulbs fall from the braid and I have to scramble to find them on the garage floor! Still, this is the most convenient storage method I have found. I finally ran out of last year’s onions about six weeks ago!
I’ve tried not to plant too many shallots, because they do not keep in storage as well as the onions and garlic do.
Happy gardening,
Sue
Oh to have so many garlic….
Good advice, I planted mine last fall, but they don’t look quite ready yet. I have only ever grown in containers, not have access to a garden plot until last year.
Working in the garden center, I am amazed to admit that I have sold countless bushels of multiplier onions, but never grown them myself. Mine are now looking nice and big, but I don’t know the what and when..
When do I pull some out? Do I pull out the entire bunch, or just as many as I need? Funny, and rather red faced question, but like I said, no garden for decades. All my containers were committed to trees, shrubs, and perennials.
Are you talking about the little onions that get a clump of bulb sets on top of the stalk? I’m not harvesting my multipliers, either. When they are ready, the leaves will begin to die back from the tips and start to fall over with top sets on the stalks. Stop watering when this happens. Within a few weeks, after the leaves have turned yellow and brown, the bulbs will be ready for harvesting. Remove the top sets and replant. Do not cut the stems at this time. Let them cure in a warm dry spot until totally dry and the outer skin of the bulb has turned to a papery feeling. At this time, the stems can be removed to within one inch of the bulb and the onions can now be stored in a cool dry place.
To plant multiplier onion, divide the top sets into individual cloves and plant 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart. If you wish to harvest as table scallions, plant deeply and only 1 inch apart, and mound the soil around them as they grow to a depth of about 3 or 4 inches to increase the white section.