farm garlic is easy , but many people question when to harvest and how to store garlic . I share my tips in this clause .
As any garlic lover knows , bracing garlic just tastes better . And the good news is that with some simple harvest home and storage tips , you’re able to enjoy farm - tonic Allium sativum for months after pulling it from your garden . Growing and storing your own garlic is n’t difficult – just follow these footprint for garlic harvesting succeeder !
Know the Right Time to Harvest Garlic
Garlic can be tricky to harvest because unlike many vegetables , you ca n’t judge ripeness by looking at it . The timing depends on the mixture you planted :
Hardneck garlicis generally quick to harvest when about 40 % of the leaves have change by reversal brown .
For softneck garlic , get to harvest when the bottom 3 or 4 folio are yellowing or browning .
other season varietiesmature first , sometimes as early as spring . Late - season varietiesare harvest in summer .
No matter the variety , avoid harvesting too early . Immature Allium sativum wo n’t store well . But also do n’t await too long or the cloves can jump separating underground . supervise your plants and dig up test bulbs to check their forward motion .
Prepare the Garlic Beds for Harvest
About 2 - 3 weeks before your projected harvest particular date , help your garlic bulbs cure in the ground by take in these whole step :
end irrigate the works Let the dirt dry out – rainfall is operose to control but do your near !
Once about half the leaves icteric , criticise over the greens to restrain further nutrient uptake .
permit the remaining leaves to dry out and yellow completely .
Digging Up the Bulbs
When harvest sentence arrives , be careful digging up the bulbs :
Use a garden fork , not your hands ! Mature incandescent lamp have a long root system and wo n’t attract out easily .
lightly tease apart the soil and purloin out each light bulb , taking maintenance not to slice them with your cock .
take any stay on dirt by hand – do n’t dampen the bulbs yet !
Curing Garlic After Harvesting
Leave the stalking and roots entire .
Bundle 8 - 10 stems and hang to dry bulb - side down in a cool , dark spot for 2 - 3 weeks .
Or lay bulb in a single bed on a covert , avoiding sunlight .
Once entirely juiceless , turn out off the top and roots and gently sweep off the taboo hide .
Do n’t disclose the item-by-item cloves or get them wet during cure !
Storing Garlic for Maximum Freshness
Keep at 32 - 40 ° fluorine in a sullen spot with airflow . A meshing base works well .
Softneck varieties store up to 8 months . Hardnecks last 3 - 4 month on average .
Check regularly and murder any bulb that get flabby spots or start sprouting .
store your largest , healthiest bulb to plant for next year ’s crop !
With the right harvesting techniques and storage conditions , you could love brisk Allium sativum for up to 8 month after pulling it from your garden .
Common Garlic Harvesting Mistakes to Avoid
It ’s loose to make mistake when harvest home garlic for the first fourth dimension . watch out out for these common errors :
Pulling bulbs too early – young garlic wo n’t cure or store well .
Waiting too long to harvest – cloves can divide underground .
Digging up bulbs roughly – slicing bulbs moderate to dilapidate issuing .
peril bulbs to sunlight – direct light ruin garlic ’s storage ability .
Insufficient drying clip – Allium sativum need 2 - 3 weeks to cure by rights .
stack away at too high temps – heat stimulate bulbs to sprout and go bad quickly .
stave off these stumble will run to perfectly cured garlic that lasts in memory !
How Long Does Freshly Harvested Garlic Last?
The shelf life of freshly harvested garlic depends on the change and storage method acting :
decently cured softneck ail keeps for about 8 months in a cool , dark spot .
cure hardneck varieties are more perishable , survive 3 - 4 months on average .
Refrigerating ail exsert its ledge life slightly compared to board temporary reposition .
Whole electric-light bulb last longer than in the altogether private cloves . Cloves only stay fresh for about a week .
Freezing garlic is an option , but it changes the texture once thaw .
No matter what , homegrown garlic stays fresher much longer than store - bought !
Tips for Preparing Your Garlic Beds for Next Year
After harvest your Allium sativum , prepare the beds for next twelvemonth ’s crop :
Mix in 1 - 2 inches of compost to refill food . Garlic is a grievous feeder .
Consider planting a cover version crop like clover or rye if you wo n’t be embed ail again justly away . This will stamp down weeds .
Rotate garlic to a different bed than last year ’s . This prevents disease buildup in the grunge .
If garlic plants render signaling of disease or gadfly , solarize the soil with well-defined plastic for 6 weeks before replanting .
Weed the country thoroughly since garlic seedling do n’t compete well .
With some TLC for your garlic beds now , you ’ll be on your way to an even bigger harvest next time of year !
Storing Specific Types of Garlic
The right storage methods reckon on which of the two main garlic varieties you grow :
Softneck Allium sativum – Stores for about 8 months
Hang braided bundles or situation in mesh bags
Keep at 32 - 40 ° fluorine in a dark smear with airflow
Hardneck garlic – Stores for 3 - 4 months
Ideal at just above freezing temps
Requires very modest humidness
memory in single layers in a cold garage or basement
Knowing the idealistic status for your variety will maximise its post - harvest life !
Enjoying Your Garlic Harvest
Aside from eating it bracing , here are some tasty fashion to expend up abundant harvested Allium sativum :
Roast whole bulbs drizzled with olive oil until tender and spread on wampum .
Pickle raw cloves in vinegar to apply in Bloody Mary cocktails or salad dressings .
Infuse European olive tree vegetable oil with boom garlic clove to make delicious aioli and garlic gelt .
Make batches of icebox garlic butter to spread on steaks or tot up feel to pasta .
Preparing Garlic for Storage
After the garlic has heal for two weeks , it ’s quick to store . If you are raise a softneck diversity , you’re able to braid the neck and fall for decorative charm . Softneck garlic mostly stores longer than hardneck , but hardneck kind ( likemy favorite mixed bag ) are hardier for cold winter .
For both type , prune root to 1/2 an inch long .
To store hardneck miscellanea , trim off the stems just above the cervix . I then store the garlic bulb in hang telegram baskets or interlock produce dish . Air circulation is crucial .
When to Harvest Garlic
For crop that get underground , it can be hard to know when to glean them . as luck would have it , garlic gives us a clew . When the bottom 3 - 4 leaves of the plant have died , it ’s ready to be harvested . In myUSDA hardiness zone 6b garden , my harvest window is anywhere between late May to early July .
Not certain when to plant garlic ? My fall planting guide can help !
The idealistic time to harvest is 3 - 5 days after a rainfall . That ’s because the desiccant the bulb is , the right it will heal and the longer it will store .
rear the bulbs gently with adigging forkto prevent damage .
When I harvest my ail , I make garlic pulverization from last year ’s leftover garlic .
fit out my short templet , The Permaculture Inspired Vegetable Garden , if you want to grow tasty food while working with nature .
Harvesting and curing GARLIC for LONG-TERM storage
How do you reap Allium sativum ?
Then follow these 3 dewy-eyed steps to glean your entire bed of Allium sativum : 1 . Stop watering . When harvest ail , it is best to dig in drier soils . Not only does this abbreviate moisture levels around the bulb , allowing your ail an chance to bring around quicker , it cut back down on opportunity of fungal growth . 2 . delve your garlic with care .
How long should you wait to glean garlic ?
3.*Scapes and Leaves : * – For hardneck garlic , wait three to four weeks after removing the scapes ( the curly heyday stalking ) . – The ideal time to reap is when three or four leaves have died , but
Can you lay in garlic bulbs too soon ?
Do n’t glean bulbs too shortly if you plan to store them ; small , undeveloped straits do not store well . Conversely , do n’t leave medulla in the earth too long or the clove tree will begin to separate and burst from their skins ; over - mature garlic straits will be vulnerable to decay and wo n’t be storable .
How do you live if Garlic is ready to harvest ?
When they uncurl and stand up straight , the garlic is ready to harvest . get your garlic out of the ground at the correct time is imperative if you want high - timber incandescent lamp that will store well . Over - matured bulbs will set out to split up open . Normally , we would never lay the incandescent lamp in the greenhouse to dry , but last yr was exceptionally wet .
