When to Harvest Elephant Garlic and Cure It For Storage

Once the leaves begin to die back, this is an indicator that it’s time to harvest elephant garlic and cure in a cool, dry spot to prolong its shelf life.

Elephant garlic may look and taste similar to regular garlic bulbs, but its actual roots lie with leeks. Planted during autumn planting seasons, elephant garlic usually takes eight months or so before producing baseball-sized cloves.

Planting

Garlic thrives when planted in the fall, as its long growing season allows it to produce and split into cloves before winter arrives. But spring planting also works. Mulching beds where garlic is planted is recommended to prevent weeds from competing with it and conserve moisture levels in the soil. Garlic prefers loose organically rich soil with good drainage; gardeners with clay soil should add compost or other organic matter before planting for optimal success.

Elephant garlic thrives best in full sun environments as its light feeding needs can only be met through ample sunshine. While it tolerates most temperatures in its area, too much rain could cause it to rot causing further complications with soil drainage issues and fungal disease outbreaks. Garlic plants should also be protected from harsh winds to avoid damage caused by wind gusts as these species are more prone to wind-borne damage and fungal disease outbreaks.

After harvesting, bulbs must be cured before being ready for use. This involves spreading them out in a cool and dark location with adequate air circulation for between three and eight weeks – growers may tie or hang the bulbs; others use screens, drying racks or slatted shelves – before being ready for cooking as garlic. Sometimes a fall-planted clove doesn’t divide into segments but instead forms round onion-like cloves; these rounds can be replanted next year to produce regular bulbs instead.

Harvesting

Though elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum) resembles and tastes much like its namesake garlic species, its closest relative are leeks. A biennial plant, this biennial variety takes two growing seasons to complete its life cycle from planting until maturity; planted either autumn or spring as one single bulb which eventually splits open into separate cloves with mild but intense garlicky aromas.

Plants require full sunlight and loose, organically rich soil that drains well to thrive in. A pH near neutral is preferred to ensure adequate air circulation at the site and avoid fungal disease and rot; additionally a layer of mulch can protect it from harsh winds that might harm young bulbs.

As well as finding an ideal planting site, garlic plants require regular watering. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy – particularly during summer – in order to promote steady growth and avoid dry spells that could result in fungal infections like rot. This will also prevent any stress to roots that could potentially result in disease outbreaks like crown rot.

Once the foliage begins to turn yellow or brown, it’s time to harvest garlic. Use a spade to gently lift and brush away as much soil from each plant as possible; additionally it is highly advised to cut back or even remove flower stalks known as scapes as they drain energy from your plant that could otherwise go toward bulking up your bulbs.

Curing

Elephant garlic thrives best in loose, friable soil that has been amended with soft rock phosphate prior to planting. For optimal performance it needs a continuous source of nitrogen such as blood meal, feather meal or fish emulsion as its source. Fertilizer should be applied regularly during its growing period – initially upon notice when new green leaves start sprouting early spring; and periodically throughout its growing period thereafter. As your plants progress keep the area clear from weeds while providing just enough water so as to maintain moist but not waterlogged conditions in order to ensure optimal results!

Once a plant’s foliage begins to turn yellow or brown, it is time for harvesting. Carefully dig up and brush off as much dirt from bulbs before using or storing for later.

As with leeks, elephant garlic produces flower stalks resembling scapes (a bud at the tip of a plant stem) as an indicator that its bulbs are ready for harvest as these take energy away from producing large cloves instead. Remove any unnecessary scapes to reduce waste but don’t discard them as they are also edible and can be added back in with other types of garlic and leeks!

Elephant garlic is a biennial, so its first year will produce one bulb and then divide into multiple cloves during its second. Depending on your climate and growing conditions, harvest may occur either in autumn when its growing season is longest or in spring.

Storage

As with true garlic, elephant garlic overwinters well in many climates and its winter hardiness is one of its biggest selling points among gardeners. You may wish to plant it between October and January in milder areas but for best results in colder ones it should be planted from September through November to ensure sufficient root development time before winter sets in.

As soon as elephant garlic begins to outgrow its leaves, cut off any flower stalks called scapes that sprout up above them. Although cutting them is optional, doing so could divert energy away from the bulb and result in smaller bulbs next year. If you do decide to trim off these flower stalks for any reason, store the cut pieces for cooking or pickling later on.

While bulbs themselves are fairly resilient to extreme conditions, their plants can benefit from having an extra layer of mulch around their roots to protect from frost damage and keep weeds at bay.

Water bulbs regularly to maintain an appropriate level of soil moisture; they do not tolerate overly waterlogged conditions well. Plants also require ample sunlight for maximum growth; as the plants mature, their foliage will begin to turn yellow or brown, signaling it’s time for harvest. Once harvested, cloves should be taken out of direct sunlight immediately and removed from any direct light; do not brush away dirt from them as these require curing at a later date.