Housewives are often interested in how to store garlic longer. Probably everyone knows about the benefits of this vegetable, but unfortunately, not everyone can talk about how to store garlic. Due to the wrong time of harvesting garlic and its preparation for storage, we may lose a large number of harvest. Storing garlic is quite within the power of everyone, and today's article will help to avoid storage errors, in which I will also reveal some secrets of storing garlic at home.

But, as they say, first things first ...

First of all, you should know that, according to botanical features, there are two types of garlic:

• spring (or non-shooting), which is popularly called summer;
• winter (sometimes shooting and non-shooting), popularly called winter.

Types of garlic differ in terms of planting and harvesting, resistance to frost, yield and keeping quality, that is, storage capacity.

Timing and time of harvesting garlic

The suitability of the crop for long-term storage directly depends on the timing of the harvest, which are set taking into account the growing season of the crop.

The signs that determine the time of harvesting spring garlic are yellowing of the leaves and the beginning of lodging of the tops. The approximate harvesting time for spring garlic is the second half of August.

Ripening signs winter garlic yellowing of the lower leaves and cracking of the wrapper at the inflorescences. At the same time, the scales covering the bulb become thinner and dry. The approximate time for harvesting winter garlic is the end of July.

To determine whether the garlic is ripe or not, you need to look at the condition of the covering scales. If they're thin and sturdy, it's time to start cleaning.

The best times for cleaning are warm and dry days.

Harvesting garlic should be done promptly and promptly. A delay in harvesting leads to a deterioration in product quality, namely:

• the covering scales are cracked;
• the bulbs disintegrate into cloves;
• at the bottom, new roots are formed and the bulbs take root.

Such bulbs deteriorate very quickly and cannot be stored for a long time.

Harvesting garlic for storage

Garlic is harvested as follows: using a shovel or a pitchfork, the bulbs are poured in, collected and laid out to dry. When harvesting, protect the bulbs and roots from damage and impact. The soil is carefully removed from the surface of the bulbs and from the roots by hand.

In dry weather, garlic is dried right on the site for 3-5 days. When it rains - in a well-ventilated area (in the yard, in the attic or veranda).

You can dry the garlic in the sun during the day, and bring it into a warm room at night.

Garlic is dried, like onions, along with leaves. Wherein nutrients, formed in the green parts of the plant as a result of photosynthesis, are transferred from the leaves to the bulb. This technique improves the weight and quality of the bulbs.

After thoroughly drying, the roots are cut off the bulbs, leaving 2-3 mm, and the stem, leaving a neck up to 10 cm long. Then the bulbs are sorted and placed in storage under suitable conditions.

Proper harvesting will provide you with excellent storage for your garlic in winter.

How to store garlic

Depending on the temperature regime and humidity levels, there are two main storage methods:

• warm method - assumes storage of bulbs at a temperature of + 16 ... + 20 ° C and humidity of 50 - 70% and is suitable for storing spring garlic;
• cold method - involves storing garlic at a temperature of + 2 ... + 4 ° C and a humidity of 70-80% and is used only for storing winter garlic.

It must be remembered that storing spring garlic is different from storing winter garlic. Winter garlic is a very capricious product and unsuitable for long-term storage. It is easily affected by various diseases and dries up as a result of moisture loss. This is because winter garlic bulbs have fewer cover scales. Due to poor keeping quality, they are produced in the fall.

Storing garlic at home
How to store garlic so that losses are minimal? There are the following traditional ways for storing garlic:

1. An old proven method is weaving braids and wreaths. A bulb and a false stem are left in dried garlic, and the leaves are removed. The braid starts from the bottom, sequentially weaving new bulbs up to 15 pieces. To give strength, twine is woven into the braid. To hang the braid, a loop is made at its end. This method allows you to preserve the garlic until the next harvest.
2. The bulbs are placed in shallow boxes, baskets, cardboard boxes, nylon stockings or linen bags and placed in a dry and cool place on winter storage... From time to time, the garlic is sorted out, removing the spoiled bulbs.

For those who like to experiment, I suggest unusual ways storage of garlic, which often give unexpectedly good results.

1. Unpeeled, dried onions are put in glass jars, which are pre-sterilized, and closed with ordinary nylon lids. You can also sprinkle flour on the bulbs.
2. Garlic bulbs are placed in a single layer in shallow wooden boxes with small holes and covered with a layer of coarse salt. So, alternating layers, fill the box to the very top. Dry sawdust can be used instead of salt.
3. Garlic keeps well in linen bags. At low air humidity, garlic is additionally sprinkled with onion peels. And at high humidity, the bag is pre-treated with a saturated solution of sodium chloride. Salt not only absorbs moisture from the air, but also protects the bulbs from pests and diseases.

Difficulties in storing garlic
Problem # 1: dry bulbs
When stored, the garlic dries out gradually. This happens as a result of the process of moisture evaporation, which can be prevented by waxing. To do this, you need to melt a candle and lower the heads in warm paraffin. When solidified, paraffin forms a layer on the surface of the bulb that prevents moisture evaporation. And the carbon dioxide that accumulates in the bulb as a result of stem respiration causes the death of microorganisms and protects against diseases.

Problem # 2: mold growth
Bulbs may develop green mold or black mold rot when stored. These fungal diseases primarily affect damaged and frozen bulbs. The development of diseases is promoted by high temperatures and high air humidity in the storage area. Solution to the problem: after harvesting, dry the garlic in the sun. Garlic dried in this way is resistant to diseases, since direct sunlight causes the death of bacteria, fungi and mold.

Problem 3: germination of bulbs
To prevent the germination of garlic, before storing the bottoms of the bulbs, lightly burn them over gas stove... This technique allows you to increase the storage time.

How to store garlic in an apartment
To store garlic in an apartment, choose dry, cool and dark places away from the heating system and heating devices. During relatively warm winters, you can store garlic on the balcony, and small crops can be stored in the refrigerator.

Note to the hostess:

• Do not store bulbs damaged during harvesting, but use them immediately;
• Store garlic and onions separately from other vegetables.
• Bulbs with three covering scales have the best keeping quality.

You will also see useful information on storing garlic in this video:

So, to summarize ... Storage of garlic depends on its type (spring or winter), on proper harvesting and preparation for storage, on the place and method of storage, on the creation of optimal conditions for storing garlic. For my part, I advise you to use several methods at once when storing garlic in winter, which will ensure the maximum safety of the crop.

You already know how to store garlic in winter and you can keep it until the next harvest. I will also gladly accept your advice on how to store garlic.

I advise, dear readers, not to miss the publication of new materials on this blog.

Garlic is a spicy, healthy and popular plant. It is a condiment for many dishes in cooking. It is considered a folk remedy for combating colds and toothaches. Physicians are aware of its ability to strengthen the immune system, gums and appetite. But it is especially appreciated by housewives: for its pungent taste and tart smell, for its ability to destroy harmful bacteria, for its ability to treat many ailments. Garlic is a good antiseptic. But many owners are tormented by the question: how to organize the storage of garlic at home, so that he himself does not become a victim of various diseases and mold? The answer is ambiguous. In order for it to retain its juiciness and freshness by the end of a long winter, it must be removed in time ... Only those heads that were timely removed from the ground will be stored for a long time; properly dried and trimmed.

There are two types of garlic. Spring is planted in spring and harvested in the first half of August. Winter crops are planted in the fall, and harvesting begins in mid-July. As a rule, there are no problems with storing the heads of the spring variety, they live well until the new harvest. This article will address the question: how to properly store winter garlic until spring?

Spring garlic is planted in spring

Winter crops are planted in autumn

Choosing a day for cleaning

Time goes fast. Imperceptibly, the time for harvesting garlic approached. They start digging it only in warm and dry weather. You can't be late. With every day that is missed, the quality of garlic will steadily decline. All this will negatively affect its safety in winter. Garlic clearly demonstrates its overripeness:

• the protective layers of the filmy scaly coating are cracked;
• the bulb consists of splayed cloves, ready to separate from the slightest touch of them.

Do not leave damaged heads for the winter, they must be used immediately

The bulb consists of splayed cloves ready to separate

Important advice: do not leave damaged heads for the winter. They need to be separated and used immediately.

The nuances of digging and pruning garlic

If for garlic there was good care: it was weeded in time, the soil was often loosened, it was rarely watered during the growing season - the soil in the garden should be soft and loose. In this case, you can gently try to pull it out by the powerful stems with your hands. But if the roots come off, you need to dig in. For these purposes, you must use a shovel or pitchfork. The main thing is not to rush so as not to damage the heads.

It is cleaned with hands from lumps of soil and is laid out to dry right on the bed

Gently try to pull out the powerful stems with your hands

The garlic extracted from the ground is shaken, cleaned with hands from lumps of soil and laid out to dry right on the garden bed. If the weather permits, it is kept in the garden in the shade for 5 days. Try to avoid hitting straight lines sun rays in the afternoon and dew in the morning. Therefore, at night it must be removed to a dry, warm room. Many gardeners dry garlic for 10-14 days in attics country houses or other buildings. The conditions for drying onions in any weather are simply excellent there: dry, twilight, cool, there is always a draft.

The garlic is dried along with the stems. It is best to prune the stems with pruning shears or sharp, powerful scissors, which can easily cope with tough leaves.

Pruning stems with a machine

Many gardeners dry garlic for 10-14 days in the attics of country houses

At the head, the roots are cut from the bottom at a distance of 3 mm from the body of the bulb, and from above the leaves are cut at a distance of 10 cm from the neck. After that, it is sorted by head size. Such handling of garlic during harvesting will serve as a guarantee of ensuring its safety in winter.

Why does garlic spoil?

To choose the right strategy and understand how to preserve garlic until spring, you need to understand the reasons for its spoilage. For the safety of garlic crucial have three factors:

• temperature;
• humidity;
• resistance to bacteriosis and onion-garlic nematode.

Spring garlic loves warmth in winter

Moisture is critical for drying garlic and disease resistance

Resistance to bacteriosis and onion-garlic nematode

Different varieties are stored when not the same conditions... Spring garlic loves "warm" in winter - the air temperature is from +16 to +20 degrees, and the winter variety "cold" - only plus 2–4 degrees. Moisture is critical to its drying and disease resistance. An atmosphere that is too dry will completely dry out the cloves, and an environment that is too humid will create conditions for mold and disease on the heads. The optimum humidity is 50-80%.

Using healthy planting material

Avoid growing in one place for several years in a row

The fight against nematodes and bacteriosis begins from the moment of planting and continues during care and harvesting. To keep the heads healthy, and storing garlic at home ensures that they save all of it useful qualities, necessary:

• using healthy planting material;
• avoiding growing in one place for several years in a row;
• destruction of diseased and weak plants during the growth period;
• disinfection of storage facilities;
• maintaining a moderate positive temperature and air humidity of about 70% in storage areas.

Destruction of sick and weak plants during the growth period

The best keeping quality is observed in heads of garlic, which have three protective layers of scaly coating.

Cool tip: the best keeping quality is observed in the heads of garlic, which have three protective layers of scaly coating.

The principle is the same: all heads must be in the same conditions. We must strive to ensure that they all come into contact with the surrounding atmosphere, do not experience high pressure on top of each other, rationally used the space of the room in which they are stored.

All heads must be in the same conditions

In limbo

1. Our great-grandmothers also knew how to weave pigtails from garlic. For this case, the stem must be left almost completely, after removing all the leaves. For easy storage, it is recommended to weave a strong cord to make a loop at the end of the pigtail. It is convenient to hang such a structure with a loop in a pantry, closet, on an insulated balcony, in a basement or cellar. The main storage conditions are listed above: cool, dark, not too humid.
2. You can go on simplified version... Tie the heads with the stems into small bunches or brooms and hang them under the roof top in an insulated attic or winter garden... In this place, storing garlic at home has been tested by many gardeners, who are happy with the result. It is convenient to reject suspicious heads during storage.
3. Many summer residents put dried and short-cut heads in nylon stockings, tights or nets. This option is similar to a pigtail of a simplified design and allows you to efficiently use space in the closet or under the roof, in the closet or in the basement.

1.Our great-grandmothers also knew how to weave pigtails from garlic

2.Tie the heads to the stems in small bunches and hang them under the rooftop

3.Place the dried and short-cut heads in nylon stockings, tights or nets

In containers

1. Putting well-dried heads in sterilized three-liter glass jars under nylon lids is very popular among city dwellers. Practice has shown that the bulbs preserved in this way retain their useful properties for a very long time, until the end of spring.
2. Many housewives keep heads in low boxes, cardboard boxes, baskets, linen bags, perforated bags. The main thing here is the presence in the containers of a sufficient number of holes for good ventilation. Onion peels are usually placed on the bottom, some ash or sawdust, which absorb excess moisture... For the winter, the filled containers are placed in dry and cool places. This method is convenient in that the garlic bulbs are readily available and can be sorted out periodically, discarding the spoiled heads.

Storage in sterilized glass jars

Storage in low boxes, cardboard boxes

No air access

1. A proven method of storing peeled cloves in vegetable oil. This method is suitable for a small part of the crop. First, the bank is being prepared. It is steam sterilized and allowed to cool. Then cooked slices are placed in it and poured with olive, corn, linseed or sunflower oil until complete immersion. The jar is closed with a polyethylene lid that has holes in it. The good thing about this method is that the garlic is immediately ready to use. And in fragrant oil, which has absorbed its smell, you can fry cutlets, fish or vegetables. It is also suitable for dressing salads, sauces, cold appetizers, vinaigrettes.
2. TO original way storage of garlic can be attributed to the way it is buried in the ground. For this, a part of healthy, dried heads is selected. They are wrapped in several layers of old newspapers and placed in a plastic bag. They dig a hole 40-50 cm deep right in the garden, put packages there and cover them with earth. They trample underfoot and throw in the tops of potatoes, tomatoes or the tops of beets, carrots. Dig it up in spring or summer. At the same time, the preservation is very good.
3. Verified folk recipe good preservation of garlic - immersion of the heads in molten paraffin. Its dried film protects the bulbs well from evaporation of the moisture contained in them.

1. A method of storing peeled cloves in vegetable oil

2. The method of burying it in the ground

3 dipping heads in molten paraffin

Under a layer of flour or salt

1. Pour 2 cm of salt on the bottom of the plywood box and lay out a layer of heads. Then again salt and a layer of garlic heads. And so on to the very top. Salt protects the heads from pests and absorbs excess moisture.
2. Garlic heads in glass jars are poured with flour. First, shake the jar with them so that the heads are located more densely, and then pour the flour a few cm above the upper onions. The goal is to protect from pests and absorb excess moisture.

1.Salt protects heads from pests and absorbs excess moisture

2. Garlic heads in glass jars are covered with flour

Chilled

• A small number of heads are wrapped in several layers cling film and placed in a refrigerator. The best way- in a container for storing vegetables. The temperature must be maintained between +2 and -3 degrees Celsius.
• In a cellar, basement in pots or hanging. Usually in these places high humidity and the garlic can start to sprout. You can fight excess moisture with salt, onion husks, flour or sawdust.

Having figured out how to preserve garlic until spring in one way or another, we choose affordable option... We hope that garlic will be used for cooking all winter long and will not be thrown into the trash can. We always remember the rule: garlic is much easier to grow than to store it in the winter at home.

O useful properties and every housewife knows how to use it, there are usually no problems with planting either, but not everyone can keep it fresh and juicy all winter.

The secret to successfully storing garlic is based on the fulfillment of several conditions.

Cleaning time

Let's start with the most important thing - timely cleaning. It should be borne in mind that garlic is divided into:

• Spring- this is summer garlic(some call it autumn). He doesn't shoot. Yellowed and lodged foliage is considered a signal to start harvesting.

Usually, spring garlictake awayin the second half of August.

• Winter- winter garlic. There are shooters and non-shooters.

You can determine the ripening period of winter garlic by the following criteria:

• the skin of the inflorescences cracks;
• the lower leaves turned yellow;
• the scales of the bulbs have become thin and dry.

The approximate time for harvesting winter garlic is the end of July.

So your garlic is showing clear signs of ripeness. If the weather is dry and warm, start cleaning.

It is not worth delaying the harvesting process, otherwise you risk getting a product of low quality, which will be poorly stored. Signs of overripe garlic:

• the scales covering the bulb burst;
• the heads disintegrate into teeth;

• young roots appeared at the bottom of the bulb.

Advice: If during harvesting you damage the bulb, do not leave it in storage.

How to remove garlic

Dig with a shovel or a pitchfork (I prefer a pitchfork - this way the bulbs are less damaged), laid out to dry.

Shake off excess soil from the heads and roots, leave the foliage. In clear weather, we dry the garlic directly on the ridge for about 5 days. Damp - under a canopy or in a well-ventilated area. You can also take it out in the sun during the day, and clean it in a warm room in the evening.

After drying, cut the roots (leaving about 3 mm) and stems (leaving up to 10 cm). Sort the heads by size before storing them.

Such cleaning will ensure best storage in winter.

Storage temperature for garlic

Storage in warmer: +16 ° С ... + 20 ° С - optimal conditions for spring garlic.

Storage in cold: +2 ° С .... + 4 ° С - the most favorable conditions for garlic winter crops... Winter garlic is poorly adapted for long-term storage: it is more often affected by various diseases and loses moisture.

The storage area should not be too dry (the garlic will dry out) and not too damp (the garlic will be susceptible to disease): optimal humidity - 50-80%.

It is important: very good keeping quality for bulbs with three covering scales.

Select planting material you can in our catalog, where the products of many garden online stores are presented.

How to preserve garlic, storage of winter garlic, diseases

Winter garlic it is stored without loss for a short time - only a few months. Of course, zealous owners, who know many of the tricks of the longevity of vegetables, manage to keep it in the bins until spring.

But here the health of the heads is the main condition. However, the insidiousness of the ailments of garlic is that they are immediately invisible.

And we, unaware of the harmful consequences, put infectious heads with healthy ones in one container. But garlic does not get sick with anything during storage!

Possible diseases storage of garlic

Cervical rot is perhaps the most common fungal disease. The vegetable softens, becomes watery, yellowish, or generally mummifies.

It is also attacked by other infections caused by fungi. For example, multi-colored mold - green, gray, black.

At the first (also called penicillosis) some teeth become lethargic, depressed light yellow spots form on the juicy tissue, which are then covered with a green mold.

Very small fungus spores begin to spread in depth and in breadth, when the scales break through: from one affected denticle, they immediately penetrate into the head. Teeth wrinkle, darken, crumble. You touch the garlic, and it is empty.

Disputes scatter around, and after 2 - 3 months, green mold becomes a mass disaster, covering all the garlic. Gray mold loves to settle on the sides and bottom of the teeth. Her insignia is a gray fluffy bloom. Black mold, or aspergillosis, affects the upper scales.

A black dusty mass of small spores forms between them, which infect neighbors not only with direct contact, but also flying through the air.

It happens in garlic and white rot like light poppy seeds on the teeth. And it all ends with banal rot.

Sometimes rot and mildew provokes bacteriosis of garlic, which is no longer caused by fungi, but by bacteria. During storage, deep ulcers and stripes appear on the teeth, extending from the bottom upward.

Fabrics are made pearlescent yellow. This ailment is remarkably disguised. If you are negligent about the symptoms described and plant unhealthy teeth on the garden bed, seedlings will appear on time, which will even develop normally. However, the entire crop or its lion's share will be of poor quality.

In general, all the diseases described rarely occur separately. On one head it happens up to 3-4 diseases... This is how a wonderful vegetable is sick, which is designed to bring us health. Think that detailed description his many sufferings will force gardeners to be more attentive to the stored garlic.

How to deal with diseases of garlic during storage

And they prevent all diseases in the same way. Since the summer cottage harvest is not as large as the industrial one, it is not worth pickling infected garlic with fungicides.

The environmental friendliness of the grown products is above all! Therefore, we will go in a more wasteful, but absolutely safe way for health: every 10 days we will inspect the stored garlic and remove suspicious heads. And so that such as do not appear as long as possible, you need to create optimal conditions for the crop.

At first, leave only dried, loose, dense garlic for the winter. Common dry scales in an amount of at least three, and also the teeth should not be easily separated from the bottom, otherwise the resistance to diseases decreases.

Secondly, it is necessary to maintain a storage temperature of zero, or even a minus one (1-2 ° C). With it, the development of fungi stops, and therefore rot and mold. But if the thermometer rises above 0 ° C, the heads get sick, dry out, or try to throw out the feeble escape.

Thirdly, it is necessary to monitor the humidity in the room, the optimal indicator for garlic is no more than 70-80%. Therefore, garlic should not be stored with vegetables for which the air is too dry.

In a room with such parameters, it makes sense to keep healthy garlic in canvas bags, on which they put plastic bags, leaving them open. If the crop is in a warm pantry, a month later the bag is tied so that the garlic does not wither.

from the article by Galina Borisova