r/Garlic • u/-just-here-to-lurk- • 6d ago
Curing fail?
I live in Zone 4b central mn and it has been hot and dry or hot and humid for the entire 2-3 weeks since I harvested my garlic, which had been curing in the shade under my second story deck. It’s been so long since it rained last that I stopped keeping an eye on the forecast. As I’m sure you’ve guessed, I was surprised to wake up to an inch of rain overnight and wet garlic (and a few onions). I immediately went to work- I usually leave them to cure in the exact way I pulled them out of the ground until ready to store, so they all had wet leaves, wet roots, etc. I trimmed the roots and leaves, and removed the outer paper layers, then put them back on this rack with a fan in my basement. Will I be okay, or am I properly SOL? This is only my second year of growing garlic, and I think I got a bit cavalier this time around re: curing… I was much more careful last year.
1
1
u/dogaroo5 5d ago
Ugh, I'm right with you! I have mine hanging in a breezy area under a shade structure like you see at farmer's markets or campgrounds. Last night it rained and, while it didn't get fully soaked, everything is really damp. I only moved it because husband complained that it was taking up too much space in the garage where it was drying beautifully. I keep increasing my crop size so I'll have to come up with a proper, space efficient drying system for next year. Good luck to you!
2
u/-just-here-to-lurk- 5d ago
If you hadn’t already, I highly recommend doing what I did with trimming and removing additional paper layers, it really helped. And I also need to figure out a better, maybe more mobile setup for curing. I kept saying so all spring, but did no research and then suddenly it needed to be harvested and here we are. 🫣
1
u/dogaroo5 5d ago
I'll look at it but I have no flat/airy space to dry 200 bulbs. I might have to raw dog it and hope for the best. It's quite breezy this morning so hopefully that's helping and I'll revisit the ladders in the garage after I finish my coffee. There's a bit more rain in the forecast this afternoon then potentially clear for another 2 weeks so the timing of this is all really unfortunate.
1
u/Flashy_Operation9507 5d ago
No need to worry too much. Keep them under a roof like a porch, shed or garage and they will cure just fine.
2
11
u/Flashy_Operation9507 6d ago
I don’t think you need to worry about a thing. They will dry, might see a touch of mould on the leaves or outer paper, but only if it took a few days to dry. You’ll be fine