Harvesting Garlic: When to Pick and How to Cure
Home-grown garlic is easy to grow and delicious. This complete guide will help you know when to harvest your garlic and how to cure it for long-term storage. Properly harvesting and curing garlic will allow you to enjoy fresh cloves from your pantry all year!
While garlic can be planted in the spring, most northern gardeners plant their garlic in the late summer or fall for a late spring/early summer harvest time. In warmer climates, garlic harvest is in the early spring. Fall plantings yield the largest bulbs.
While planting garlic is a straightforward process using quality seed garlic and proper planting timing, knowing when to harvest garlic can be a little more tricky. The garlic cloves are under the ground, so how do you know when they are ready? The secret is in the leaves!
How to know when garlic is ready to harvest
Harvest timing for garlic depends on the different varieties of garlic you planted. These tips will help you know when to harvest depending on whether you planted softneck garlic or hardneck garlic. The secret is in the garlic leaves!
Softneck Garlic Varieties
Softneck varieties grow an upright, green stalk with several sets of green leaves. This type of garlic does not form a garlic scape. While the garlic bulbs are actively growing, the leaves stay green. As the garlic bulbs finish forming, the leaves begin to turn brown and dry out. A good rule of thumb is that softneck garlic is ready to harvest when the lower 4-5 sets of leaves have completely dried out.
Hardneck Garlic Varieties
Hard neck garlic plants also grow an upright, green stalk with several sets of green leaves. About 20-30 days before the heads are ready for harvest, hardneck garlic sends up a flower stalk, or garlic scape. This usually happens in early june in my area. These scapes can be harvested and used in recipes just as you would use garlic.
Diced garlic scapes can be substituted 1:1 in a recipe that calls for garlic. Garlic scapes can also be blanched and frozen for later use.
If you mark your calendar at the appearance of garlic scapes, you can count forward 20-30 days and plan on harvesting your garlic heads at that time.
What happens if I wait too long to harvest my garlic?
If you wait until all the leaves have dried, your cloves may separate or start to sprout. The garlic won’t store well if this happens. Don’t leave your garlic in the ground too long if you want to store it for the long-term. The shelf life of your garlic depends on proper harvest timing.
What happens if I harvest my garlic too early?
If you harvest your garlic too early, the cloves will be smaller, and the papery skin outside layer will be thinner and more susceptible to damage. While you can still eat garlic heads and tops that are harvested early, they will not store as well as garlic harvested at the optimal time. If you want bigger bulbs, don’t harvest them too early!
When to stop watering your garlic crop before harvesting
When a majority of your softneck garlic plants have 4-5 sets of l+eaves that are completely dried out, or it’s been 20-30 days since your hardneck garlic scapes appeared, it’s a good idea to stop watering your garlic. One week after you stop watering, your garlic will be ready to harvest. This will allow the soil to dry and the outer skin of the garlic cloves to dry, so they aren’t damaged during harvesting. Allowing the outer layer of the garlic heads to dry slightly before harvesting will prevent rotting. Make sure to harvest on a dry day.
How to Cure Garlic for Long-Term Storage
Like onions, fresh garlic must go through a curing process to stay good in storage for many months. There are 2 methods for curing garlic: braiding and bundling. Braiding works great for softneck garlic. A garlic braid can look beautiful hanging in your kitchen. Bundling works best for hardneck garlic as the stalks are too stiff to braid.
Both hardneck and softneck garlic can be cut from the stalks after the green tops are completely dried and brittle. Store in a cool, dark place with good air circulation. I like to store my garlic heads in these mesh bags hanging on the wall of my basement pantry for easier access. This is the best way to make sure they have adequate air circulation to prevent rotting.
Drying before braiding or bundling
Immediately after harvesting garlic, it is best to spread out the garlic in a single layer out of direct sunlight to begin drying the leaves. Leave your garlic to dry in this condition for 4-5 days before you bundle or braid it. This will start the curing process and prevent your bundles and braids from being too green and rotting.
I like to lay out my garlic on my wood pile to dry for a few days. You could also use mesh screens, or just lay the garlic on your porch in a single layer. Just keep it out of direct sunlight.
Braiding Garlic
A garlic braid is a beautiful way to cure your garlic right in your kitchen and show off your garlic harvest. You can easily cut a garlic head from the braid anytime you need one for a recipe. Garlic does not need to be fully cured to be used in a recipe, but properly curing garlic is necessary for long-term storage.
Braiding garlic is like french-braiding hair.
Start with 3 garlic plants. Place the garlic heads away from you with the leaves toward you. Begin braiding the 3 plants by crossing each stalk over the other stalks.
After your braid is just started, add another garlic plant on top of the braid, and incorporate its leaves into the braid by folding it into the braid as you move down. Keep adding additional garlic plants to the braid, alternating sides as you go.
Keep braiding and adding in additional garlic plants until your braid is the desired size, and then tie the end with baker’s twine, or wrap with a rubber band.
Hang the garlic braid in a cool place with good air circulation out of direct sunlight to dry. When the leaves are completely dry and brittle, the garlic heads can be cut from the stalks if desired. Leave 1/2 inch of the stalk attached to the head.
Bundling Garlic
If you are rushed for time, or if you are growing hardneck garlic, bundling is the best option for curing your garlic. Simply pick up 10 garlic plants at a time and tie them together with baker’s twine, or a rubber band. Hang bundles in an area with good air circulation out of direct sunlight the dry.
When the leaves are completely dry and brittle, cut the garlic heads from the stalks leaving 1/2 inch of stalk attached. Store in a dark, dry place with good air circulation.
How long will garlic last in storage?
Properly cured garlic will last a long time, even up to a year in storage. I grow and harvest enough garlic to last my family an entire year with some left over when I’m harvesting the following year. You can take garlic off your grocery store shopping list forever if you follow these simple tips to properly cure and store it for long-term use. Homegrown garlic is full of flavor and well worth the minimal effort to grow it.
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Halli is a 4th generation gardener. Her great-grandmother had a beautiful garden and orchard and grew all the food to feed her large family. Halli has been growing her own garden for over 20 years. Growing her own food, improving the soil, and feeding her family home-cooked meals are her passions. Halli loves to connect with old, time-honored ways of cooking, gardening, and living.
Garlic is a staple in my kitchen. I use it in almost every dish. Thank you for all of the tips on how to preserve it.
Great information. Only tried planting garlic once and did it incorrectly! Thank you for the post!
I love cooking with garlic. I’ve been wanting to grow it in the garden! Thank you for all this info!