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Washing/storing garlic & cloves for planting

• Message 1. 

  Posted by Lokelani (U8896212) on Sunday, 3rd July 2011

  Is it best to wash the soil off the garlic after lifting & then dry it or will it hamper the drying & will the soil just fall off when dry anyway?
  
  I've heard I should save the biggest cloves to plant for next years crops, how do I best treat them. Just let them dry in the rest of the head & when I break them off store them dry & dark, airtight or not?
  
  I'm also going to use some as wet/green/fresh garlic, do I just leave these out in the kitchen or put them in a dark place or the fridge?
  
  It's Solent Wight by the way & the two I've llifted so far are a lovely size, I'm really pleased with them.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Sunday, 3rd July 2011

  In my opinion, it's best to rinse off as much soil as possible. It will only go dry and fall off all over the kitchen floor anyway!
  
  If you are going to save cloves of garlic for next year, don't break up the head. Just keep it somewhere cool and dark untill later on this year.
  
  Leave the fresh stuff on the kitchen window sill (inside) and use as you want.
  My Solent Wight didn't do so well, but my Tuscany is a cracker ! Cheers, Tony.

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• Message 3

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  Posted by BaraGwenith (U14257539) on Sunday, 3rd July 2011

  I never wash the soil off my garlic, just keep it in the greenhouse until it is dry, then keep it in an open wooden greengrocer's box indoors. Never put garlic in the fridge. It is not necessary to keep it in the dark.
  
  When you come to plant next year's garlic, anytime between October and March, only plant the largest cloves from the outside of the bulb. Ensure they are single cloves, not doublers. Depending on the variety, it should keep well into next year.

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• Message 4

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  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Sunday, 3rd July 2011

  Lokelani:
  
  I'm glad you asked the Q because I wasn't sure whether I'd done the right thing with my harvested garlic.
  
  Mine was harvested a couple of weeks ago, dried in the GH and pushed upside down through slats in the potting bench.
  
  It's dried really well and the roots were cut off this weekend. I didn't wash mine but the dried soil actually comes off really easy, the bulbs aren't perfect white like in the super market. I was going to plat mine and now knowing they don't need to stay in the dark was going to hang them in the kitchen.
  
  The initial bulbs I started with were just called garlic and bought from wickes, the harvested bulbs weren't huge but the cloves are as big as any bought from shops. Will try Solvent Wight next time if you are recommending it.

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• Message 5

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  Posted by farmerSteve (U2644680) on Monday, 4th July 2011

  never wash veg you intend to store it will always encourage rots
  wait till they are dry and brush off any excess dirt
  Garlic and onions when they are dry will lose a layer of skin so a quick rub and you should have bright shiny new garlic just like in the supermarket
  That is all the packers do for the Alliums

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• Message 6

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  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Monday, 4th July 2011

  I never wash them choose how muddy they are!
  
  I just let them dry on slatted shelving then clean off roots and husks once things have dried out.
  
  This is my last years lot;
  
  
  
  Then I pleat them and hang them in the garage and use as required;
  
  

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• Message 7

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  Posted by Inkadog (U14278499) on Monday, 4th July 2011

  Very impressive! Thanks for the photos.
  

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by everhopeful (U11289037) on Tuesday, 5th July 2011

  Wow Tee Gee
  I cant show a pic of mine now after seeing the fan
  tastic garlic and onions you have grown
  Please give me the secret I have harvested and left to dry and even plaited some but they are small heads compared to yours. I have raised beds(poor old thing) but it makes it easier to plant deeper which I thought I needed to do next time,
  I do enjoy eating veg straight from the garden, had first tomatoes yesterday still warm from the greenhouse, they were delicous. This year I bought one grafted plant from Hilliers to compare with the others grown from seed. The grafted is way ahead of the others for size but only just ripening.Will see what the taste is like.
  EH

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• Message 9

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  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Tuesday, 5th July 2011

  Please give me the secret I have harvested and left to dry and even plaited some but they are small heads compared to yours. 
  
  There is no secret other than as with all gardening good preparation is key.
  
  As Arthur Billet used to say ; the secret is in the soil!
  
  
  
  BTW this years crop is a bit of a disaster due to poor preparation!
  
  The farm yard manure I had delivered last autumn has weedkiller (aminopolyprid) in it so I did not use any.
  
  This means my crops are running on reserves still in the ground from previous years, add to that the dry weather, very hot April my stuff has just simply not bulked up!
  
  Ah well there is always next year
  
  
  
  I have raised beds(poor old thing) but it makes it easier to plant deeper which I thought I needed to do next time, 
  
  
  What do you mean by 'deeper' ??
  
  Onions & garlic do not want planting 'deeply' I just leave a hint of the bulb appearing above the ground, so I guess I plant mine around 1"-1½" deep.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• Message 10

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  Posted by koala_girl (U12702629) on Wednesday, 6th July 2011

  Well, I follow the advice that the man from the Isle of Wight garlic farm gave me and wash it first.
  
  When I first lift the garlic I quickly swish it in a bucket of water to get off the worst and then immediately set it on slats to dry. I try to do all this on a sunny morning so it can start off drying quickly in the sunshine. I then move them all into the conservatory to finish drying for at least three weeks before braiding.
  
  About a week into the drying I cut most of the roots off and lightly tidy the bulbs up a bit by gently brushing off the top paperly layer with my hands. I do this so that the final braids will look nicer hung up in the hall! The braids hang in the hall where it is not too bright but fairly cool and airy. I hang one braid at a time up in the kitchen where I can take garlic off for cooking.
  
  

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• Message 11

  , in reply to message 10.

  Posted by Lokelani (U8896212) on Thursday, 7th July 2011

  I've only had chance to lift the two so far which have both been eaten!
  
  I'm worried about where to dry the rest as the greenhouse only gets sun for half the day & runs with condensation on colder days. I think it leaks a bit when it rains. I can't think of anywhere else to dry them though.
  
  As for recommending that variety, based on the size of the two & the fact they were just shoved in the pots last years toms/chillis/peppers/courgettes had been grown in when they'd finished, then I'd say definitely. More than double the size of any I've had from supermarket cloves.

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