We recently harvested our garlic and knowing when to harvest garlic can sometimes be a wee bit tricky, so I thought I ‘d share what I’ve learned over the years.

It depends on what type you grow {hardneck or softneck}, and unfortunately, you kind of have to go by how it looks.  Hardneck varieties, which is what we typically grow here in the northwest {because they are more tolerant of the winters}, are usually ready somewhere between early July through August.

I typically harvest mine when the bottom 5 leaves or so have turned brown, and the top ones are still green.

To harvest garlic, carefully dig around the bulb with a small garden shovel.  Even though it’s super tempting, don’t pull garlic out like a weed.  The bulb is fragile, and needs all its pieces intact to cure properly for storage.  Once you have dug around the bulb, carefully lift it out of the dirt and brush off the excess dirt.

To cure garlic, hang it to dry in a cool dark place.  A garage or tool shed works great.  Don’t remove the stalk or the roots when curing.  If you want to, about a week into the drying process, you can braid the stalks together for storage.  It takes about two weeks total to dry completely.

After you have cured your garlic, you can prep it for storage.  If you didn’t braid it, you can cut off the roots and stalks now.    Garlic stores best in a cool dark place {but not the refrigerator—it’s the optimal temperature for causing garlic to get those little green shoots}.  I recommend storing it in the pantry {or a basement, if there’s no humidity} in a brown paper bag with holes punched into it for circulation.

Softneck varieties store longer than hardneck.  Either way, you  should be able to get your garlic to store fairly well for 6 months or longer.

Did you grow garlic this year? Can you taste the homegrown difference?

~Mavis

Looking for more information in growing, cultivating and enjoying garlic?  Check out the book The Complete Book of Garlic By Ted Jordan Meredith.  Amazon currently has it in stock and ready to ship.