Harvesting Garlic

When do you harvest Garlic? My plants still have green leaves- do you wait until they are brown?

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on June 20, 2009 at 10:09am

Does your garlic have scapes yet? Scapes are the long serpentine stem that comes out the center of the leaves (one per bulb) and has a little seed pod at the top.) If so, you will want to cut them off - don't throw them away though - they are great chopped up in stir fry, soups, scambled eggs, etc. I have actually started some garlic from the seed in the pod but it takes quite awhile to ever get it to any size. I have been growing garlic for years - mostly in New England, but have been experimenting here in NC for the past 3 years. My trials have shown that by cutting the scapes off - I get a larger bulb when I harvest. I am actually growing garlic here in NC and TN - so I will watch as the leaf ends start to turn brown/yellow. You can always dig one up and see what size and condition the garlic bulb is in. Now that the heat is upon us - you certainly don't want the garlic to cook in the ground - which happened to some of mine last year. I try to keep it watered and mulched as much as possible. Hope this helps - let me know if you need help on the actual harvest - I have a few tips that will help keep your garlic for quite a long time.
(By the way - I had an email that someone by the name of Annika had emailed me on this site but was not able to retrieve it - thought maybe it was you?????)

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Permalink Reply by Doug on June 23, 2009 at 8:57am

(By the way - I had an email that someone by the name of Annika had emailed me on this site but was not able to retrieve it - thought maybe it was you?????)

That was spam.

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Permalink Reply by Katherine on July 12, 2009 at 9:44pm

Maybe this info is too late, but I harvested my garlic last week. I think you are supposed to dig them before the stalks turn totally brown.

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Permalink Reply by Barbara on July 13, 2009 at 7:33am

Yes - that is correct. I have mine drying in the greenhouse right now (with lots of air circulation). After they are dried - I will put them one at a time in an old clean nylon stocking or mesh bag - tieing off each one with a knot - then I hang them in a cool dry place (pantry). As I need a bulb - I just cut it off below the knot. This procedure keeps the garlic for quite a long time.