13 June 2017 Garlic Scapes

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by Durgan, Jun 13, 2017.

  1. Durgan

    Durgan Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    2,669
    Likes Received:
    100
    Location:
    Brantford,Ontario, Canada
    http://durgan.org/2017/June%202017/13%20June%202017%20Garlic%20Scapes/HTML/ 13 June 2017 Garlic Scapes
    Garlic scapes are forming on the hard neck garlic. They are the curly snake like tentacles on which the seed called bulbils form. The scapes may be cut off and eaten. There is a view that removing the scapes makes the garlic bulb larger, but I have seen no evidence of this.

    Harvest is usually the first week of July in my Zone 5, but I no longer do this. The scapes are left on and the garlic is allowed to grow until the bulbs start to break the covering, then it is harvested. I have found the bulbs get larger if the scapes are not removed and bursting of the bulb covering in no way reduces the storage life. Seeds (bulbils) are harvested when they form at the end of the scapes. Usually one scape produces numerous (100) seeds.
    dsc_7606_std.jpg
     

Share This Page