I have a love affair with garlic. I love that I can enjoy the fruits of your labor almost year-round.
There are a few things you should know about growing garlic and getting garlic bulbs. Garlic is a great vegetable to grow.
At the same time, it is important to know how to harvest garlic bulbs. Luckily this is not too complicated.
So, let’s “dig” in and I’ll try to clear it up as much as I can!
For garlic lovers, the long wait from fall planting to summer harvest is filled with anticipation But when is the right moment to dig up this favored Allium? Learning the best time to harvest garlic ensures plump, well-formed bulbs that will store optimally.
Signs Garlic is Getting Close to Harvest Time
Garlic planted in fall goes through a long growing period before it’s ready to harvest. Here are some signs that garlic is nearing maturity:
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Lower leaves begin yellowing and drying out
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Softneck varieties show collapsed necks
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Hardneck types send up a curly flower stalk (scape)
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Above-ground growth slows down or stops entirely
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Bulbs swell underground visible as raised mounds of soil
These indicators usually appear in early to mid summer but timing varies by garlic type and climate. Keep a close eye on your garlic patch when summer arrives!
How to Know When Hardneck Garlic is Ready to Harvest
Hardneck garlic sends a distinctive curling scape from the top center of the stalk as bulbs mature. Use these tips for gauging harvest time:
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Harvest scapes when they form a full curl or circle. This happens 4-6 weeks before bulbs are ready.
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After cutting scapes, wait another 1-2 weeks until lower leaves begin browning and dying back.
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Check bulbs by digging up a sample head. Cloves should be plump and papery skins intact.
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Optimal time is when 5-6 leaves remain green but bottom 2-3 are 50% brown and dry.
Judging When Softneck Garlic is Ready for Harvesting
Without curly scapes, determining softneck garlic’s ideal harvest moment takes keen observation. Follow these guidelines:
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Monitor lower leaves regularly as they start yellowing from the bottom up.
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Harvest when 2-3 bottom leaves are at least 50% browned and dry.
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The neck will become soft and start to collapse when bulbs are mature.
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Dig up sample bulbs to check if cloves have filled out. They should not be shriveled or have loose skins.
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Aim for when 5-6 top leaves are still partially green and erect.
What Happens if Garlic is Harvested Too Early?
It’s tempting to pull bulbs at the first signs of maturity, but harvesting garlic too soon shortchanges yields and storability. Consequences of early harvest:
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Bulbs may not reach full size potential.
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Cloves don’t fill out and develop multiple layers of papery sheath properly.
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Cured bulbs won’t keep as long, sprouting sooner.
Hold off harvesting until signs clearly indicate bulbs are ripe. The wait leads to bigger, better garlic bulbs.
What Happens if Garlic is Harvested Too Late?
At the other end, leaving garlic in the ground too long past its peak also reduces quality and shelf life. Watch for these signs of overripe bulbs:
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More than 5-6 leaves have browned and died back.
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Outer sheaths become very dry and brittle.
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Bulbs begin separating into individual cloves underground.
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Clove skins start loosening as bulbs deteriorate.
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Dehydrated bulbs don’t store as long and sprout sooner.
Stay vigilant once garlic begins maturing to harvest at perfection.
Digging a Sample Bulb to Test Garlic’s Readiness
Since garlic grows underground, the best way to monitor maturity is to dig up sample bulbs ahead of main harvest. Choose a couple representative plants to check in late spring or early summer when maturity nears.
Carefully loosen soil beside the bulb with a trowel and lift it out to inspect:
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Check clove and bulb size and shape. Well-filled bulbs have plump, rounded cloves.
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Skin should be papery and intact, not cracked or loose.
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Solid bulbs feel heavy; light or soft ones need more time.
Use clues from sample bulbs to gauge when to harvest the whole patch.
Regional Differences in Garlic Harvest Times
Garlic harvest times vary across North America depending on local climates and latitude:
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Southern zones: May to early June
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Middle zones: June to early July
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Northern zones: Mid-July to early August
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West Coast: June to August
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High altitudes: July and August
Within these ranges, final harvest date depends on weather patterns each year. Unseasonably cool springs delay maturity while hot ones accelerate it.
Impact of Weather on Garlic Harvest Timing
Fluctuating spring weather affects garlic development, altering ideal harvest dates. Here’s how conditions hasten or delay maturity:
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Warm spells quicken growth, pushing harvest earlier.
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Sustained cool temperatures slow bulbing, delaying harvest.
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Excess rain can spur leaf diseases, requiring earlier harvest.
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Lack of rain stresses plants, accelerating leaf die-back and maturity.
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Dry soil causes bulbs to swell less; they may need more time to fill out.
Adjust garlic harvest timing based on seasonal weather patterns.
The Role of Garlic Varieties in Harvest Timing
Not all garlic types mature at the same pace. Harvest windows differ slightly among popular varieties:
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Softneck Artichoke: Mid-season; moderately early harvest.
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Silverskin: Early to mid-season maturity; harvest toward early side.
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Porcelain hardnecks: Mid-late season harvest times.
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Purple Stripe: Typically late maturing, up to 3 weeks after softnecks.
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Asiatics: Rapid spring growth means earlier harvest.
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Turbans: Often last garlic harvested; late maturity.
Factors that Result in Small, Immature Garlic Bulbs
Garlic bulbs that fail to swell to full size by harvest often suffer from one of these common issues:
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Planted too late in fall.
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Poor soil nutrition lacking nitrogen.
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Insufficient watering in spring.
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Damage by pests like nematodes or thrips.
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Competition from weeds or overcrowding.
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Very low soil temperatures during growth.
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Harvested prematurely before reaching potential.
Address causes like nutrition or pests to resolve small bulbs.
How to Cure and Store Your Garlic After Harvesting
Proper post-harvest curing and storage preserves garlic quality for months. Here’s how to process and store your freshly dug bulbs:
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Allow bulbs to dry in a shady, well-ventilated spot for 1-2 weeks after digging.
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When dried, trim roots and stalks to about 1”. Save largest bulbs for replanting.
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Ideal curing conditions are 60-70°F and 60-70% humidity.
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Place cured bulbs in mesh bags or loosely woven baskets with ample air flow.
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Store at cool room temperatures between 40-60°F in a dark spot.
Follow curing guidelines carefully for the longest-storing, best tasting homegrown garlic.
Garlic Harvest FAQ
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about getting garlic harvest timing right:
How do you know when softneck garlic is ready? Look for 2-3 bottom leaves browning and drying plus a softened neck on bulbs when squeezed.
Does garlic regrow after harvest? No, garlic is a biennial plant that forms mature bulbs after one full growing season. Replant cloves or sets in fall for the next crop.
What if some garlic leaves stay green? Go ahead and harvest once lowest leaves show signs of maturity. Upper leaves often remain partly green.
Can you cure garlic without the leaves? Yes, but leaves provide protective sheaths for cloves during curing. Trim leaves after bulbs are cured.
Why cure garlic after harvest? Curing dries bulbs properly to extend storage life. It also enhances flavor.
Conclusion – Paying Attention Results in Tasty Garlic All Year
Determining the best moment to dig up garlic takes patience and close observation. But successful harvesting at the peak of ripeness results in full-flavored bulbs that can sustain you until next year’s crop. Follow these garlic harvest tips to enjoy a bountiful yield of this garden treasure.
When to Harvest Hardneck varieties
A harvest of hardneck bulbs.
For the cold winters in the north, these are great. Their deeper roots help the plant handle the ground freezing and thawing better. Instead of having many softnecks, they only have one layer of fairly large cloves that grow in a ring around the stem.
While they might be easier to grow, their shelf life is unfortunately shorter. But hey, there’s less peeling involved and they have garlic scapes. Their name comes from the fact that they have a stiff stalk that sticks out about an inch or two from the top of the bulb. Most popular sorts are Rocambole, Purple Stripe, and Porcelain. They’re often harvested in early spring.
The softneck variety of garlic is usually grown in warmer places, so the main harvest can start as early as late spring. Obviously, they do not have the second harvest, as they very rarely have scapes.
Getting garlic from plants is a little tricky because you can’t tell when the bulbs are ready to be dug up. When you wait until all the green leaves turn brown, the bulbs will be too ripe and the cloves will start to separate, making the garlic go bad faster.
Each leaf also protects the bulb, so you want as many live leaves as possible when you dig your garlic out. These leaves can greatly extend the garlic’s shelf life.
If you dig them up too soon, though, you’ll get small bulbs that won’t last as long when stored.
There are people who say you should pick the plants when the bottom leaves are brown but the top five to six are still green. A good rule of thumb is to wait until a third of leaves are brown. You should check on a few plants to make sure the bulbs are big enough. Just remove a bit of dirt around the stalk to get a good look.
If you’re satisfied with the size, you should proceed with the harvest. If not, you can wait a little longer. But when about half of the leaves turn brown, you should pull out all of your garlic, no matter how big it is.
When to Harvest Garlic
So, when should you harvest your growing garlic bulbs?
This isn’t an exact science; a lot depends on the type of plant you’re growing and the weather where you are. It is also important to note that there are three garlic harvests during a year.
The first harvest is usually in early spring. Spring garlic plants are usually about a foot tall at this time. You can either pull the scallion plant out of the ground and use it in cooking, or you can just cut off some leaves and add them to your food.
The second harvest usually happens in June and this is when you can harvest garlic scapes. The scapes grow from a woody central stalk that some garlic sorts have. The majority of experts agree that cutting off the garlic scapes helps the bulbs grow later, but some are more certain than others.
I like taking off the scapes because they are tasty and good for you, and it does seem to help the bulbs grow bigger. If you do decide to harvest scapes, they can be stored for around 3 months in the refrigerator.
Later in the summer, between mid-July and late August, is when the third and main harvest takes place. Again, all of these dates can be pushed back if the weather is warm or there have been stretches of unusually warm weather, so you should check on your plants often.
Before the harvest, there is a lot of work to do, and I will go over it all in more detail later. For now, I’d like to bring up one last thing that can affect the harvest time:
The kind of garlic you planted.
In general, there are softneck and hardneck varieties, and each has its own benefits. There are also great-headed varieties, but they look more like leeks and shouldn’t be planted.