Understanding when to harvest & how to prepare for storage
It’s mid-summer, and you’ve been dutifully caring for your garlic crop for 8+ months. You begin to wonder: Is it ready? Should I pull it now, or wait a few more weeks? Or you just pulled those beautiful bulbs, and you’re wondering “now what?” Garlic is an easy crop to grow, harvest, and store, but it does require a few specialized pieces of knowledge. Luckily, there are some straightforward, easy to understand factors to guide you through the entire process!
Basic Harvest Procedures
Harvesting garlic requires pulling the plant, bulb and all, from the soil. Sometimes this can be done by hand with no additional tools. Frequently, the use of a digging fork or shovel may be needed. Place your tool a few inches out from the plants, push down until the tool is below the garlic roots, and gently lift up. This will loosen the soil enough that you can pull the bulbs without breaking the stems. Take care not to slice your bulbs on accident! Remember to handle your garlic gently. Treat them like an apple or a tomato: rough handling can cause invisible bruising, which will shorten the storage life of your crop!
When to Harvest?
I live in mid-Michigan, zone 6a, and garlic is traditionally ready here in mid July. I’ve harvested as early as late June, however, so it’s important to understand how to read the plants!
The easiest way to understand when/if your garlic is ready to harvest is to count the number of dead/yellow leaves compared to living, green leaves. Harvest when there are 4 dead leaves, and still 5-6 green leaves. This maximizes bulb size, wrapper leaves for sound storage, and minimizes mildew & decay picked up in-field.
Curing Your Harvest
What is curing?
Curing is the process of drying down your freshly harvested garlic in a controlled way, to maximize storage life. After it’s been harvested the plant goes into a forced dormancy. The leaves surrounding the bulb dry out and form a protective seal around the edible cloves--a sort of natural shrink wrap!
Ideal Curing Conditions:
Good airflow
Low humidity
Moderate temps (70-80* F)
Protected from direct sunlight
Protected from rain & other elements
Simplest way to cure garlic:
There are many cute “garden hacks” out there for curing garlic, but my favorite method is what I learned working on organic farms processing thousands of bulbs every year. Take a length of twine--loops of baling twine are perfect, but any sturdy string will do-- and tie a bundle of (up to) ten bulbs at each end. You should have two securely fastened bundles of ten bulbs with a couple feet of twine in between them. Take these bundles and hang them in a suitable location: over the rafters in a dry outbuilding, or on a hook in a mudroom or airy closet can work great. Allow your garlic to cure for 2-4 weeks, until the leaves and stems are thoroughly dried. The wrapper leaves (leaves surrounding the bulb) should be dry and papery. Once the garlic is cured, it will be easy to peel & utilize in recipes, and can be stored long term in a cool, dry place.
Braiding Softneck Garlic
We’ve all seen those beautiful garlic braids. Depending on the variety of garlic you grew, this can be another fun way to cure and store your home garlic! First, it’s important to know what type of garlic you have. Hardneck varieties, true to name, have a sturdy central stem that can’t be braided. Softneck varieties, however, can be braided!
Why braid garlic?
Braiding garlic isn’t necessary, but it does serve a purpose. Garlic braids keep the bulbs together for easy handling & storage, while holding the bulbs apart from each other, promoting the airflow needed for proper curing and long storage. Garlic braids are also beautiful, and who doesn’t want a little more beauty in their life?
How to braid:
Braid garlic using the same method used to French braid or cornrow hair: begin with three separate plants. Hold the bulbs close together and braid the stems tightly a few times to hold the braid together. Then, add a bulb with each cross of the middle strand. E.g., add a bulb to right edge, cross existing right strand AND new stem over the center. Add bulb to left edge, cross existing left strands and new stem over center. Repeat until the braid is the desired size, braid stems down to ensure all bulbs are held well, then tie off to secure. You can braid in flowers or herbs to make your braid prettier, if desired.
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