I have thought for several weeks now that it must be getting close to the time to harvest the garlic. I read the instructions from Seed Saver Exchange about growing and harvesting garlic. The timing and symptoms were correct. So we harvested today after work. All 30 of the cloves planted produced nice bulbs. I had to dig down a ways to get to the bulbs. Kathy and Jenna cleaned them off with water. (Now that I re-read the instructions, it says to not do that. Too late.) We then carried them to a place where we could clean them a little more, pulling off the outer layer in most cases.
Overall, I think we got between 25 and 30 pounds of garlic. Most of the cloves are quite large. Some had started to separate from the bulb, suggesting that we harvested just in time. The bulbs were generally large. I put a measuring (1 cup) next to the bulbs to give something to compare in terms of size.
We braided the garlic into 5 braids, 6 bulbs to a strand. I've hung them in the garage, which I think is too hot. Kathy wouldn't allow the aromatic herbs to occupy the house. I cannot think of a different place to move them to, but I'm sure I have a day or two to figure that out. We have a cold room at the office where the computer equipment is housed. Unfortunately, the air conditioner is having problems, so that isn't an ideal solution just yet. I'm afraid I would odorize the entire office if I put it somewhere else there. I have to think. Re-reading the instructions, it doesn't say anything about heat, so maybe things will be OK. Once they are dried, the cold room may be a good place to store them. I plan on replanting next year. Kathy says we need to give a lot away.
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