The right moment when to harvest garlic can change depending on the climate, the land and the type of garlic, but garlic is harvested most commonly at the end of Spring or at the beginning of Summer, once the Fall crops are done, which usually take about 8 months. At this moment the garlic has already finished its growing cycle and is ready for the farmer to collect the fruits of their labor.

To harvest garlic and obtain a top quality product we must take into account anf follow a few requirements and guidedlines.

When to Harvest Garlic: signs of ripening

To harvest garlic the most natural thing to do is to pay attention to the plant itself, given that it will most likely present some signs of ripening like the following ones:

• The garlic bulb (or head of garlic) should look bulky and tight. If the garlic cloves have formed correctly the gaps between them should be visible.
• The leaves should acquire a pale yellow or an off-white tone. The inferior leaves will dry first to be followed up by the upper leaves in the following days.

Tips to harvest garlic

When to harvest garlic, we have to keep in mid the land’s humidity. It’s a key factor. If the land’s humidity is higher than it should be stains and other imperfections will appear on the garlic head’s exterior. This is due to fungus that will negatively affect the quality of the crops.

The best time to uproot the garlic is when the leaves have completed their dessication, although uprooting too early might leave us with a smaller and/or a less quality garlic crop.

The day and the weather are also very important when to harvest the garlic: it must be a sunny day without rains in the prevouis days, given that the land must be dry for harvesting.

How to Uproot the Garlic

When garlic is harvested we must uproot the plant carefully.

In loose land we have to pull from the leaves of the garlic heads, but if the land is compact it’s better to use a small shovel a hoe. Nowadays it is very common for farmers to use machinery like harvesters to pull out garlic.

Once the garlic has been uprooted we have to leave it on the land for the next 4 0r 5 days if the weather is good. After that the garlic can be taken into the facilities to be classifies, cleaned and prepared.

At Dispaman we are expert farmers with more than 70 years of experience growing and harvesting our own land in Balazote, a region of Spain that, along with Las Pedroñeras, is known worldwide for its garlic. We know our crops from the inside out and we have the best human and tecnological resources to guarantee the bets possible products for our clients.

Find with Dispaman the best Spanish garlic