Have you planted garlic and aren't sure when it is ready to harvest? Did you forget how you are supposed to harvest it? In this post I will let you know exactly when your garlic is ready to harvest and how to harvest and cure your garlic.
When is garlic ready for harvest
Even though I usually harvest my garlic between the months of July and August, it always fluctuates. Instead of going off a certain calendar date you should use these visual cues to know when to harvest your garlic.
When half of your garlic leaves are dead, you can harvest your garlic. This usually happens in the middle of summer.
Each leaf of the garlic plant goes all the way down the stalk and makes the "paper" wrapper on the garlic bulb. If you let all of these leaves die off, then all the paper would decompose and your garlic cloves would be ruined. If you harvest too soon, your garlic will not be mature and will rot in storage.
I usually have 6 to 7 leaves per plant so when 3 of these leaves are completely brown I harvest my garlic. It is better to harvest a bit earlier than later as you do not want your garlic to rot in the ground.
I also make sure to harvest my garlic when we have had dry weather. You want the soil to be dry, so be sure not to water your garlic before harvesting it.
How to harvest garlic
Once you are sure your garlic is mature, it is time to harvest it! You need to pull your garlic bulbs up from the ground with out damaging the plant.
I like to use a pitch fork when doing this as I find you are less likely to damage your garlic using a pitch fork in place of a shovel. Stick the pitch fork into the ground and loosen the dirt around your garlic.
You should be able to get the forks under the garlic bulbs. Then lift up and your garlic should pop right out of the ground.
**Note: don't ever pull the garlic from the stalk. You risk breaking the garlic stalk which will ruin your harvest.**
Make sure to shake all the soil off the roots and bulb, but DO NOT WASH YOUR GARLIC OFF WITH WATER!
Washing your garlic off will only add moisture to your bulbs causing them to go bad sooner than if you had not washed them.
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Labeling your garlic varieties
If you plan on planting your garlic again you will need to label the varieties you planted to keep them straight, because once they are out of the ground it is very easy to get them mixed up.
To do this, I dig up one variety at a time and tie all the stalks of that variety into one big bundle using garden twine. I then use a piece of paper to write the name of the variety on and stick it into the bundle.
This helps to keep everything straight as it is very easy to mix everything together. I will keep these name cards with the garlic during the whole curing process.
How to cure garlic
For garlic to store well it needs to be cured. The curing process takes around 4 weeks and is very simple to do.
Curing is simply drying the garlic so it is ready for storage. To dry your garlic you will need to have a dry, dark, and cool place. I cure my garlic in my basement because the environment is perfect.
The unfinished part of the basement is a great place to dry garlic because it is a dirty job. Also note that your whole basement will smell like garlic for the first week. After the garlic cures the smell goes away.
Start by placing your garlic on a drying rack. I use a wire mesh rack and hang each garlic plant upside down. Remember to keep track of your garlic varieties so they don't get mixed together.
I then set up a small fan on low to keep the air moving around the bulbs. After three weeks of drying you can cut off the roots and stalk (make sure to leave 2-3 inches of the stalk), then peel the first layer of garlic skin off the bulb.
This is how you can get your garlic clean for storage without washing it. Please note that this is a very dusty job so beware if you have bad allergies.
After you have peeled the bulbs they will need one more week of drying before they are ready for storage.
- Week 1-3: Keep the fan on the garlic and wait patiently for the bulbs to dry
- Week 3: Cut off the roots and stalk, then peel the first layer of garlic skin off the bulb
- Week 4: Transfer your garlic bulbs to storage and clean up your mess
How to store garlic
After the curing is done your garlic is finally ready for storage. Again, you will want them in a cool, dark, and dry place with good airflow for the best storage.
I use a mesh bag that we hang from the wall in our basement and our garlic will last a full year in there before it starts to sprout.
Make sure to save some garlic back so you can plant it in the fall. I like to put my seed garlic in paper bags with the variety names written on them. You can also use a marker to write the variety name right onto the garlic bulb.
How long will my garlic last in storage
While most people say garlic only lasts for 6 months, my garlic will usually last a full year. This is great because once my garlic sprouts I have a whole new batch ready.
Depending on the conditions where you store your garlic, it may last as long as mine does!
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