Harvesting Garlic Bulbs

Your garlic bulbs will start moving into the harvest phase in early summer, depending upon your climate and growing zone. It normally takes about 180-210 days for garlic bulbs to mature from the time the cloves are planted. You’ll know when it’s time to harvest because the lower leaves will turn brown while the tops remain green (or yellowish-green).

Note: Do not wait until the leaves are all brown, as you might with onions. If you do so, the garlic will be overripe and the cloves will separate once harvested, drastically shortening their shelf life.

Hardneck varieties will give you an additional indication that harvest time is a month or two away by shooting up “scapes,” or flower stalks. Don’t allow them to flower; snip the delicious shoots and use them as you would chives. Softneck varieties do not produce scapes.

If possible, pick a day to harvest garlic when the soil is somewhat dry. When the day arrives, use a garden fork to very gently loosen the soil around the bulb, taking care not to damage it. Pull up the garlic by grasping the top of the bulb rather than tugging on the leaves, and carefully work the bulb out of the soil.

Very important things to remember about harvesting garlic:

• Do not remove the leaves of softneck garlic varieties, but do trim the leaves of hardneck varieties down to about 3" above the bulb’s top after harvesting.
• Shake the bulb or gently brush it off to dislodge any loose soil—do not wash it!
• Do not leave garlic to cure in the sun. Unlike onions, garlic develops a bitter flavor when exposed to direct sun. Move to a cool, shady spot instead.

Curing and Storage

Prepare for curing

Hardneck: After you gently pull the bulb from the ground and shake or brush off the dirt (do not use any water!), trim the leaves to a length of about 3" from the bulb and snip the roots to a length of about 1/4".

Softneck: After you lift the bulb and perform the same cleaning process, gather 3-4 bulbs together by the leaves (do not trim the leaves) and tie them together.

Curing

Now it’s time to cure the bulbs, a critical step to avoid decay. The drying process dehydrates the papery sheaths around each clove and protects it against deterioration.

Wait for a dry weather forecast, lift your bulbs and prepare as described above.

Create a space to cure your garlic. You can use an old pallet, or a piece of chicken wire that’s been stapled to a frame, or hang the garlic in a wire mesh basket—any configuration that will allow the garlic to be elevated above the surface so air can circulate all around it. Do not stack, pile or overlap the bulbs. Garlic likes to be in the dark and as dry as possible.

Cure hardneck garlic for 2-4 weeks in a dry, dark/shady spot. It might be a garden shed, a pantry or a garage. Do not leave bulbs in the sun or put them in the refrigerator, as these methods will cause bitterness. The ideal temperature in which to cure garlic is 55º-65º—lower temperatures will cause it to sprout and higher temperatures will cause it to shrivel and decay.

Braiding only works softneck varieties. It’s best to do your braiding while some of the leaves are still green and flexible, just before you leave the bulbs to cure. Pick off the bottom leaves for a neater look, then braid the leaves. In a few weeks, you’ll have beautiful garlic braids that will keep for months.

It’s not mandatory to cure your garlic—that’s only necessary if you plan to store it for any length of time. Uncured bulbs will last about 3 weeks.

Storing

Store your cured garlic in a cool (55º-65º), dry, dark place like a basement or pantry that has good air circulation. Use the same mesh bags you used for curing, or choose a rustic wire basket, a decorative clay garden pot or simple brown paper bags. The only rule is that the storage “container” needs to allow plenty of air circulation so the garlic remains dry.

Check occasionally for any signs of rot and remove that bulb to avoid contamination of the others.

Hardneck garlic does not store as long as softneck, so use that type first. If the bulbs are left whole, you can expect garlic to last 3-6 months if properly cured and stored. If the bulbs are broken apart, they will last about 3 weeks at room temperature. Peeled cloves can be kept refrigerated for about a week. Cloves can also be frozen whole or chopped, but will lose some of their pungency.

Remember to save a bulb or two that have large cloves to plant for next season!