Harvesting and Curing Garlic
Are the bottom three to five leaves on your garlic brown, with a few green leaves toward the top? It’s time to harvest!
Here are some tips for working with your own garlic.
Harvesting
Pick a day when the soil is dry. Carefully loosen the soil and pull out the bulbs with the stalk attached. I gently knock most of the dirt off but I do not clean the bulbs until they have cured. Be careful not to bruise the bulbs.
Curing
Tie the top of the stalks with string in bundles of five to ten and hang them bulb down in a dark, dry and well-ventilated place for about three weeks. You can hang bundles from a sapling as shown in the pictures! Alternatively, lay them on a screen or an aerated shelf. When the whole stalk is brown and the bulb has formed several layers of papery skin, they are ready to clean up and store.
Cleaning
Snip off the stalk about an inch above the bulb, snip the roots off, then wipe off the dirt with your fingers or a soft brush, being careful not to remove too many layers of skin. Select out any bulbs that are quite small or have nicks in them to eat first!
Storing
Garlic stores best in a cold (33-38 degrees) and very dry place. Get more storage tips here.
Thinking ahead…
Replant your largest bulbs for next year’s garlic, or buy some garlic seed from us!
Interested in learning more? The Grower’s Library at Johnny’s Selected Seeds may have the information you’re looking for.