Garlic scapes

[gardenvt]

My garlic is getting scapes and that will soon be ready to eat. Is this a sign the garlic will be ready in a few weeks and to stop watering?

I took a peek at one of the bulbs and it is just a bulb without cloves yet. Does this happen like onions with the bulbing beginning around the solstice?

This is my first year growing garlic so any info is helpful.

thanks.

[jal_ut]

You say you found a bulb, no cloves? If you plant the largest cloves you can find, you will always get the multi-segmented bulbs, however smaller cloves often make just a single round bulb. These can be saved for planting next year and they will make the multi-segmented bulbs. They are also very good to eat. If the one you looked at is one of these round bulbs it won't divide until next year. I don't know if this is what is going on, but wanted you to be aware of the possibilities.

[DoubleDogFarm]

My garlic is getting scapes and that will soon be ready to eat. Is this a sign the garlic will be ready in a few weeks and to stop watering?

I took a peek at one of the bulbs and it is just a bulb without cloves yet. Does this happen like onions with the bulbing beginning around the solstice?

This is my first year growing garlic so any info is helpful.

thanks.

With our mild summers it's closer to a month after scapes. The garlic stems will be about 2/3 brown when harvested

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, in my experience, having the bulb not divided up into cloves is a sign of harvesting it too early. Just because it has scapes doesn't make it ready to harvest (though you can harvest the scapes and use them). Wait until the leaves are browning and the plant is starting to fall over.

[hendi_alex]

Did you plant last fall? Spring planted garlic, especially during a mild growing season may not make mature bulbs with cloves. I usually keep such bulbs to be replanted in the mid fall so that they can make fully formed bulbs the next year.

[gardenvt]

I planted the garlic Nov 1 - All porcelain types each having 4 very large cloves.

The garlic isn't ready to harvest - I was checking to see if it had fully divided into cloves which it hasn't done just yet.

I wondered if there is a relationship in the developement of scapes to the time of harvest. Meaning, do the scapes appear 2, 4, or 6 weeks before the garlic is ready to harvest? If so, when should I stop watering?

I also wondered if garlic is impacted by the solstice (longest day) like onions are.

I think I will be very busy in early-mid-July with garlic, shallots, leeks and cippollini onions all ready to harvest about the same time.

[SOB]

I don't know if there is a relationship with the scapes and the harvest but I know they say you should stop watering 2 weeks before harvest.

[hendi_alex]

Mid July sounds about right to me, as ours is usually ready to harvest in mid June. I've never really paid attention to the timing of scape formation versus harvest time, but seems that there are perhaps 4-6 weeks between the formation of scapes and harvest time. As others posted, we just go by color of the top growth. When approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the top growth is brown IMO the bulbs are about as large as they will get and should be pulled. Leaving them in the ground longer gives the risk of potential problems.

[DoubleDogFarm]

I will add.

Harvest the scapes before two full loops. You want to redirect the energy to clove formation.

Eric

[gardenvt]

Thanks everyone.

And DDF - that pup of your can sure do some snoring!

[gixxerific]

I will add.

Harvest the scapes before two full loops. You want to redirect the energy to clove formation.

Eric

If I may add to this scape adventure. Why do you say 2 full loops? This is what I have in my mind, or at least that is how I remember it to be but can't remember why you should wait till 2 loops.

The reason I ask mainly is I have had scapes for severeal weeks I want to say 3-4 weeks. They really haven't curled like they should but seem as though they are far along in their progress. Like getting ready to open up ready. Some are curly but a lot are striaght. Last year the same seed curled like crazy. Just weird to me. Even the somehwat curly ones aren't even 1 loop.

[hendi_alex]

Kind of interesting. I let my garlic go way too long in the ground this year. The coverings of the bulbs and of the cloves totally broke down. So when the bulbs were harvested, every clove was almost totally clean. I separated the cloves, washed and dried them and placed the cloves in the refrigerator. Their quality is great, and ease of use is off the chart. So now I'm wondering what's the problem with this. We have three quarts of cloves in the refrigerator. They are totally clean and ready to use. My wife loves this arrangement. Last year I started stripping cloves and placing them in the refrigerator for ease of use. This year, because of staying in the ground too long, nature did this for us. What is the down side of having left the bulbs in the ground too long? The garlic is both very easy to use and tastes the same as when handled 'properly'.

[rainbowgardener]

Length of keeping? It seems like bare cloves in the refrigerator aren't going to last as long as a whole head, dry and in paper in the cupboard.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Length of keeping? It seems like bare cloves in the refrigerator aren't going to last as long as a whole head, dry and in paper in the cupboard.

Yes, I agree. Properly dried / cured garlic will last almost a year. Also requires no electricity.

Gix,

I'm trying to say, cut the scapes off before two loops. I pulled one of my garlics yesterday. It's just showing the lumps of individual cloves. I feel the bulbs are a little small so I'm cutting the scapes off early. I will be harvesting the scapes tomorrow.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Garden%20Vegetables/GarlicJune14th2012004.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Garden%20Vegetables/GarlicJune14th2012002.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Garden%20Vegetables/GarlicJune14th2012003.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Garden%20Vegetables/GarlicJune14th2012005.jpg[/img]
I'm done fertilizing. I'll just keep them watered.

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

I just harvested a bunch of scapes (a bunch relative to my small garden, not like you guys; maybe a double handful). How do I store them. Unlike the garlic cloves, the scapes seem tender and green. Do they go in the frig?

Last year was my first year for growing garlic. I was so pleased with how easy and productive it was (crop/ space), I did twice as much this year. Maybe next year I'll have to do twice as much again!

[DoubleDogFarm]

I just harvested a bunch of scapes (a bunch relative to my small garden, not like you guys; maybe a double handful). How do I store them. Unlike the garlic cloves, the scapes seem tender and green. Do they go in the frig?

Last year was my first year for growing garlic. I was so pleased with how easy and productive it was (crop/ space), I did twice as much this year. Maybe next year I'll have to do twice as much again!

Yes or Freeze.

Here are some recipes.
https://www.2sistersgarlic.com/articles/garlic_scape_recipes.htm

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Harvested the scapes today. I probably missed a few. They weighed in just under 6lbs.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Double%20Dog%20Farm%20%20%20Vegetables%20and%20%20Fruits/ScapesJune172012002.jpg[/img]

Eric

[Ohio Tiller]

I have always removed the scapes not only for eating but I was taught by my grandma that if you don't remove them the garlic cloves will stop growing.
I always used them in pasta and I love them diced up in scrambled eggs.
I will crush a whole one and put it inside a chicken right before it goes in the smoker.

[gardenvt]

I did two harvests of the scapes and sauteed them in a touch of butter and EVOO - very nice!!! I dug down to another garlic and can feel the cloves coming along. I am pretty excited about this first garlic harvest.

It's nice to be eating out of the garden.