First time with onions and garlic - Questions

[Sally PB]

@Sally PB are these scapes ready for harvest?

You can cut them, or let them grow another day or two.

I read that you should cut them when they spiral into a full circle. If you let them keep growing, they get tough and stringy.

I'll be cutting some tomorrow!

 

[HowIsItDone]

I noticed a couple of days ago that my garlic has "scapes". I'll be harvesting them tomorrow, hoping I didn't wait too long. How do I know when to harvest the garlic bulbs?

If your scapes are ready now, your bulbs should be ready by the mid-end of July. Harvest one mid July, and judge it.

 

[HowIsItDone]

@Sally PB are these scapes ready for harvest?

View attachment 3852068

I'd take them now, while they are tender.

 

[HowIsItDone]

I've read that cutting the scapes will make the plant grow a bigger bulb, so I'd cut any you find.

Yes! The scape is the undeveloped flower of the garlic plant.

They are so yummy when young.
If you let them grow, they will make garlic seeds at maturity, but there will be hardly any bulb to speak of.
Cut it off early, so that the plant pushes all it's energy into the garlic bulb, if you want garlic bulbs.

The same is true of tiny onion flowers. Wonderful flavor if you catch them early enough.

 

[NatJ]

The scape is the undeveloped flower of the garlic plant....
If you let them grow, they will make garlic seeds at maturity, but there will be hardly any bulb to speak of.

Garlic usually does not make seeds. It tends to make little bulbils instead-- you can plant them just like miniature garlic bulbs and over the next few years they will grow into tiny garlic plants, then bigger ones, and eventually fully sized ones.

As regards garlic making hardly any bulb to speak of: I've left the scapes on, and still gotten reasonable sized bulbs.

It would be easy enough to test. Leave the scapes on just one or two, and compare bulb sizes at harvest time. It may be something that varies from one climate to another, which would explain why some people say it is important to cut off the scapes and some say it doesn't matter: each one could be correct for their own growing conditions.

 

[HowIsItDone]

Garlic usually does not make seeds. It tends to make little bulbils instead-- you can plant them just like miniature garlic bulbs and over the next few years they will grow into tiny garlic plants, then bigger ones, and eventually fully sized ones.

As regards garlic making hardly any bulb to speak of: I've left the scapes on, and still gotten reasonable sized bulbs.

It would be easy enough to test. Leave the scapes on just one or two, and compare bulb sizes at harvest time. It may be something that varies from one climate to another, which would explain why some people say it is important to cut off the scapes and some say it doesn't matter: each one could be correct for their own growing conditions.

I stand corrected. Thanks.

 

[Sally PB]

Yummy! I ate a garlic scape on the way back from the garden, and it tastes pretty strong. They get milder when they're cooked. I had some in my stir fried rice for dinner.

 

[tripletfeb]

Upon closer inspection, I have more scapes than I thought. I'll be getting them tomorrow

 

[Sammster]

If your scapes are ready now, your bulbs should be ready by the mid-end of July. Harvest one mid July, and judge it.

Thank you! Will do

 

[Sally PB]

My last year's garlic (hardneck, Music variety) is gone, so I am eager for this year's harvest.

I have been planting cloves from my own harvest now for several years... maybe 6? 8? all of the Music variety. Last fall, I ordered a pound of another, German White. Judging by the taste of the (raw) scape, it's a little "bitier" tasting, which is fine by me.

Just for info... I save and plant the biggest cloves of the harvest. I read that you should "plant the big ones and eat the small ones." Music is known for growing large cloves, but only 4-5/bulb. That's fine by me.

Some pictures of what I mean by large cloves.

The subtitle for this next picture is "Wah!"

I sliced it when I dug them up.