One vegetable I have not had to purchase in several years is garlic. Every fall, without fail, I place an order. I like to try different varieties, so I split a bigger order with a couple of other green thumbs and then divvy it up. I think one of the best things about growing garlic is you get two harvests! But a key thing to note if you’re new to growing it, is when to harvest garlic—and those delicious garlic scapes that come sooner in the season.
I usually spread my garlic crop out over a couple of my raised beds. If I still need space, I’ll pop a few extra here and there in an ornamental garden. Jessica has written a great article about the differences between hardneck and softneck garlic. Another great resource is a book written a few years ago by Canadian author Liz Primeau called In Pursuit of Garlic.
Before we talk about when to harvest garlic, let’s first discuss how to harvest garlic scapes and ensure they don’t go to waste!
When to harvest garlic scapes
Garlic scapes usually start to make their appearance on hardneck garlic sometime in June (this may differ if you’re in a different zone). Not all of my varieties are always ready at the same time, which is nice because I can harvest in batches and enjoy them for longer.
Garlic scapes are easy to discern from the rest of the plant because they kind of look like green onions with a long elf hat (the bulbil) at the end. You’ll know your scapes are ready to pick when they form a spiral. Simply cut the scape (I use my herb scissors) at the base where it comes out of the stalk. If the scapes become straight, after they’ve gone through their curling phase, they’re past their prime. They’ll be tougher than a younger fresh scape and taste bitter.
Once I have a handful of scapes, I usually whip them into garlic scape pesto (some of which I’ll freeze in ice cube trays). I snip off the elf hats and simply use the stalk. If you don’t cut your scapes and leave them on the plant, the bulbils turn into flowers and seeds. Even if you don’t intend to eat your garlic scapes, it’s still a good idea to snip them at the base of their stalk so that all the energy can go back into growing the bulb underground.
When to harvest garlic
After you cut the garlic scapes, you have about month or so until the garlic itself is ready. A few years ago, when I was writing an article for another publication, I interviewed a gentleman from PEI by the name of Al Picketts who has a company called Eureka Garlic. I discovered him after reading about the black garlic he grows, but that’s a whole other topic. But I did ask him when is garlic ready to harvest because timing is everything.
Al explained that he uses a calendar to determine when to pull his own crops—for example, he always harvests Turban garlic on July 25. But because we all live in different gardening zones and various climates, in general, he says to look for two dead, dry leaves at the base of the plant, with a third leaf that is starting to die.
“The first leaf may be hard to see as it could be eaten up already by the soil bacteria,” he explains. “When it is time to harvest, there will still be plenty of green leaves, but don’t let this stop you. The reason for harvesting at the right time is because the bulb is wrapped with leaves. When a leaf dies, the soil bacteria eat it. This leaf will disappear not only above ground but also below.”
This is the rule of thumb I’ve been following for over 10 years.
How to harvest garlic
The best way to remove a garlic bulb depends on the variety you’ve planted. For Turban, Artichoke, and Silverskin varieties, you might want to use a pitch fork or spade—being careful not to touch the bulb. I usually pull my hardneck varieties, like Rocambole and Porcelain, because the talks are usually super-thick and sturdy.
Sometimes the soil and bulbs need a little coaxing. I’ve found that when I mulch my raised bed with straw in the fall, the soil is much looser than if I just leave the bed exposed for the winter. By the time the garlic is ready to be pulled, it can sometimes have become more hard-packed.
Without a winter mulch, I’ve found myself before with a broken stalk in my hand and a clove of garlic still hiding beneath the soil. But you also want to make sure you don’t bruise or break the bulb beneath the soil. Bruising affects the storage life.
I usually take my jumbo trowel or a bigger spade and well away from the bulb, I gently try to lift the soil beneath it. Usually this nudges the bulb up a bit, loosening the soil enough for me to pull the stalk. I gently remove excess dirt, again being careful not to bruise the bulb.
What if you pull garlic too early?
It’s sometimes hard to know if a smaller head of garlic will keep growing, even if the bottom three leaves have died away. There is a rapid growth stage just before garlic is ready to harvest, so a few days could make a significant difference. But then sometimes a bulb is just going to be runty no matter what.
Keeping squirrels away from your garlic
Even if though they don’t like garlic, squirrels seem to have special radar for disturbed garden soil. I’ve gone out to the garden to find a perfectly good clove laying on top of the soil. I find the layer of straw mulch helps to deter them. I’ve also taken to lightly sprinkling hen manure over the site after I’ve planted, as well.
How do you dry and store garlic?
Curing garlic basically means drying it out. You want lots of air flow and a cool place to cure it. Drying racks are great to have because you can use them for other veggies and herbs, too. I made my own drying rack out of screen stapled to a scrap wood frame. I place it on a stack of bricks or buckets in my garage so air flows underneath. In years past, I’ve also hung my garlic in bunches, secured by twine around the stalks, in the garage. You can braid the stalks to store, as well.
After my garlic has dried, I’ll “clean” it by gently removing dirt and debris, and perhaps one outer dried layer, over a bucket. I’ll trim the long stalk off, so I have a clove like what you’d see at the grocery store. I used to store my bulbs in a flat-bottomed bowl until I saw Jessica’s clever storage idea in her video where she places them in empty egg cartons.
Pin it
Excellent post, Thankyou! When is the best time to plant garlic shoots?
Hi Pete, you can plant garlic that has sprouted in spring, but you won’t get the same harvest as you would if you had planted your garlic in the fall.
I just harvested my scapes. They were 1 or 2 curls on them. Should I have waited till they were curled 3 to 4 times around? Just wondering from the pictures I saw in this post.
How long does your garlic keep for?
The garlic I grew last year and harvested in July is still in storage in my pantry and in perfect shape
Depends on the type and how well they were cured and temperature and humidity in storage.
Does scapes come on ever garlic or do some garlic just have the brown leaves that turn down as you mentioned?
Hi Judith, Yes, there is hardneck garlic, which produces the scapes, and softneck: https://savvygardening.com/hardneck-vs-softneck-garlic/
Hi there,
I just found a bunch of straight garlic scapes in my backyard (it’s my first year in this house)
I know you said they are past their prime, however do you think pickling them might work?
Hi Jacqueline, I’ve found that the older they get the stronger and woodier they become. But it’s worth a try!
Hi Janet, It usually keeps for most of the winter in my garage before it starts to sprout.
I am in the phillipines..is there much difference growing garlic here where there is no winter?
Hi Ernie, It does seem possible. This video from Cali Kim might be useful. She talks about growing garlic in warm climates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t2fQ-w58p0
Great article
Hi Trar.
Can you Grow garlic in a pot in the house? I live in an apartment with no balcony but I am interested in growing garlic. This is my first year without a garden. I do have some oregano and thyme from my garden that I brought with me, which is still growing from last summer. I am going to try several other herbs this year in the house and I would like to try garlic.
Hi Suzanne, You can, but from what I’ve read, you won’t be harvesting a full head of garlic, but rather the garlic shoots.
Should hardneck (chesnok) be harvested before the scapes grow, even if bottom leaves are turning yellow?
It looks like I have multiple dead leaves at base on garlic that has not scaped; do they always scape?
Hi Bardy, it seems as though you probably have a softneck variety. They are harvested the same as a hardback, but do not produce scapes. https://savvygardening.com/hardneck-vs-softneck-garlic/
Can I use the garlic that I grew to plant for the following season?
Hi Kristin, Absolutely you can replant this year’s garlic harvest!
I planted 15 hard neck in late fall. Only one did not produce a scape. I just harvest all And they look fine & smell great! Ofc to dry them…
What Type of garlic is usually bought at the grocery stores in Ontario. I planted cloves last year that started to sprout from grocery store garlic. Since I don’t know the variety I’m wondering if I should be looking for scapes or not and when to harvest. I actually wasn’t expecting anything to grow this year, but it did.
Hi Debbie, I’m not sure, it probably varies from grocery store to grocery store. I live in Ontario and my scapes aren’t up yet…
I like fresh garlic, how long can I leave it in the ground? Do I have to harvest it all at once or can I keep it in the ground for a month or so? I’m growing Purple Russian in Vancouver BC Canada
Hi Ang, you need to harvest the garlic all at once when it’s ready and store it for when you want to eat it.
Hi Tara! Thanks for this informative article. I’ve been growing garlic for about a decade and I still learned some great tips! Have you ever seen scapes start to grow, then wither? That happened with a few of my plants once the scape was a few inches long. That’s a first for me. Any ideas?
Hi Karen, I’m having issues this year, as well. I think I might have an issue with onion maggots in a couple of my scapes, but a couple of other garlic pests include thrips and nematodes.
Do you cut the garlic scapes when they have looped once? Or do you cut after they have two loops?
One loop is generally the rule of thumb. After that they start to straighten out.
My garlic heads are small do I need to leave them in the pots longer. This my first year growing garlic.
Hi Joan, sometimes some of my garlic heads come out small, as well. Their size might also depend on the size of the pot they’re in, what’s planted close by, etc. My rule of thumb is to wait until the bottom three leaves have died and then I pull, no matter what. I usually have a mix of big and small heads.
It may be the type of garlic you planted is small or the pots are small. Some types of garlic that make very large cloves are Northern White and Musik, sometimes spelled Music. Both are hardneck and have 5-8 nice big cloves.
This is the 2nd year I’ve grown Russian garlic in a community garden plot in Surrey BC. Last year it produced scapes but this year it didn’t. This year’s crop was planted with cloves from last years crop and actually produced bigger bulbs. Any ideas why?
That’s odd that the scapes didn’t come up. I know mine were very late and ready pretty much at the same time as the garlic bulbs (I cut the scapes and pulled the garlic within days of each other).
Ok I left the scape on and they have not flowered a green yet but are tiny cloves themselves. What should I do? Let them flower or cut them off?
Hi Susan, I would cut them off so that the energy can go into the bulb!
How can I amend my soil for planting in the fall? What should I add to it?
Hi Debbi, I would top-dress your soil with a couple of inches of compost.
My garlic is ready to harvest – can I use it for pickling now since my cucumbers are ready too?
Hi Fran,
If it hasn’t yet cured, it may be a little harder to mince, but if you’re putting in whole cloves, it should be fine. Here are some tips on preserving garlic. http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/files/251548.pdf
Hi there, How long do I wait until we can cook with the garlic after harvesting?
You can cook with it right away, but it will be softer. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks to “cure.”
How do you determine when the garlic has cured enough to cut off the tops? I had an issue last year with a lot of my garlic drying up or getting moldy over the winter, and I wondered if I cut off the stalks too soon. It was curing in a less than ideal location in my garage, so I’m thinking I should have given it more time.
Hi Sandy, usually about 3 to 4 weeks is recommended. It could be that there isn’t enough air circulation in your garage, or it’s too damp, which could account for the mould.
Thank you for this information! – Garlic Lover
Hi. Thanks for all of the useful tips. I planted garlic for the first time this year (both soft and hard varieties). Though I may have planted them too soon for the weather – I am in the mid Atlantic region (near Philadelphia) and planted Oct 1. It’s Oct 13 can already see green stalks growing in my outside raised bed and I also planted a few in the greenhouse bags. I have two questions. 1) I am curious if the scapes in the greenhouse will keep going and I will be able to harvest garlic in late winter/early spring? 2) will the garlic in the raised outdoor bed be problematic in spring given some of them are pushing through already? Thanks so much for your guidance.
Hi Rita, I don’t have experience growing in a greenhouse, but it does take garlic about nine months to mature. For the outdoor garlic, early sprouting can happen in the fall during especially warm spells. Once really cold weather hits, it will stop growing and resume in the spring. I would add a bit of mulch to the garden (straw or shredded leaves) to act as a bit of an insulator for the winter.
I read an article that when garlic scapes form two circles they are ready to harvest. Is that a good rule of thumb to follow?
And where do you recommend to cut the garlic scapes?
Hi Rusty,
Two loops is definitely a good rule to follow. Sometimes they just form one. I recommend cutting where they come out of the plant, above the leaves.
Hi Tara, thank you for this article. This is the first time I’ve planted garlic (zone 7). I planted my bulbs about 2 weeks ago and just noticed that I have some shape. What should I do with them so that my garlic survives the winter?
Hi Janelle, do you mean the garlic is sprouting in the garden? I put a layer of straw over my garlic bed as a winter mulch. 🙂
Great article! Planted garlic for first time in fall. Interested in seeing how it does. Have extra space. Every now and then, will have back to back days in the mid 40s. Is it too late to plant garlic now, in mid Jan?
Thanks, Keith. That’s an excellent question, and one that Niki answered in her latest article. There are tips on planting garlic in the spring! https://savvygardening.com/planting-garlic-in-the-spring/
Hi, Thanks for the info ,my quastion is
I have planted garlic last Septermber 2020 ,its servive the whole winter and still healthy but i dont know when to harvest .Theres no scapes on the plant grow yet .what is the best time to grow it agine in Ontario
Hi Naznain,
My guess is that your scapes have started to come up since you asked the question. If not, you could be growing soft neck garlic. The best time to plant garlic in Ontario is in the fall.
Do you stop watering garlic after you cutoff the scapes?
Hi Rod, I’ll water every three to five days if there hasn’t been any rain.
Thanks for the information- I’ve been searching for something just like this. Any advice for garlic problems? I just removed the scapes, but my leaves are fairly yellow, some streaky, but not yet brown. The bulbs are small but seem firm when I spot check. Another variety right next to it is still green. Any suggestions on what may be wrong, when to harvest?
Hi Lee,
If the bulbs are okay, it doesn’t seem like it would be root rot, but could be a lack of moisture. There could also be some deficiency in the soil.
I live in NW Montana. I planted some store bought garlic this spring since it started sending off green shoots. I would like to re-plant them in the fall. What do I need to do to prepare them for a re-planting?
Hi Amy,
You can try storing the garlic in a cool, dry room, but I would maybe consider using garlic from this year’s crop. If the garlic you’ve planted produces bulbs, store them all in a cool, dry place, and save some of the biggest cloves for next year’s crop.
Hi Tara, this is a great article!
Question: how often and how much should a raised bed of garlic be watered? There was a time I wouldn’t water at all, but summers are much drier now.
Thanks for your help,
Hi Blair,
Because the bulbs have been growing throughout the winter, I don’t water them every day like I do my seedlings. But I would water about every three to five days if there has been no rain.
Hi Tara, how long can u keep the garlic scales after they have been cut?
Thank you
Hi Bob,
I imagine they’ll keep in the crisper for a few days. The ends will start to wilt the longer they’re stored.
Great article! Why is it necessary to wait for the scapes to curl? Would it be better to just snip them off (and use them of course) as soon as you identify them so the plant puts the energy back into the bulb? Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Coleen, that is just naturally what they do and indicates they’ve pretty much stopped growing and are ready to harvest. If you cut them before they curl, the scape will keep growing anyhow and you’ll have a small stalk that comes up out of the plant.
Hi Darlene,
One curl should be fine! If you didn’t get it all, it will keep growing a bit and you can then just cut that small bit off.
Tara,
Thank you for the helpful site that I will use for my next planting season. This year I did not cut the scapes and all the leaves are brown at this time? An i still harvest the garlic, cure the bulbs and still use the garlic?
Hi Janine, Sounds like it might be ready. I would dig one up and see and if it looks ready, you can dig the others up, cure, and store!
Great information! Over many years, I just harvest the little cloves from the flower and toss in my wild area and just let them grow for numerous years as I have more than I can possible use. I’ve just cut some scapes as they are starting to turn upside down. I didn’t see any complete circles and wondering if I cute the scapes too early.
Hi Tara,thank you for this post!
I grew music garlic the scapes were great but lost half the bulbs after curing to rot. I hung them in my shop but I think lack of air flow cause them to rot. This is the best garlic harvest post I’ve seen! 😊
Thank you, Dave! 🙂
Hi Rebecca, If you harvest when the soil is wet, just be sure you are able to dry out your garlic well – make sure it is ventilated on all sides – to avoid mold.
Can you dehydrate garlic bulbs or heads ?
Hi Mark, Yes, I’ve seen a few gardeners talk about dehydrating garlic for garlic powder.
How do I tell what garlic is planted? My husband planted garlic in November and December. He passed in March. I saw your post on the garlic scales. Is that just for hardneck?
Hi Gretta, I’m so sorry for your loss. Hardneck garlic has the scapes.
Planting garlic for the first time in Georgia it’s June now when will it be ready to Harvest
Hi Frankie, No matter where you live, you’ll be able to tell if garlic is ready when the bottom three layers of leaves have died back. You can always pull one as a test if you are unsure.
Hi Tara
I just started planting garlic this season but I am confused about planting it in the fall. I live in NY, if I plant now this fall-October, will it stay dormant in the winter?
And ty for taking my question
Hi Maria, Garlic is like tulips and other spring-blooming bulbs. They need that cold period to trigger bulb development. That said, it is possible to plant in the spring, but there are some steps you need to follow.
My farm animals ate my garlic scapes a few weeks ago. Is my garlic crop now wrecked for the harvest? Looking for any advice!!!
The crop should be fine unless they dug up the bulbs. Essentially, they trimmed your scapes for you, which allows all the energy to go into the bulbs. The trick may be finding where they are if all the greenery is gone!
Thanks for a great article! I tried planting “grocery store” garlic last fall, and the results are astounding!! I’m just north of Newmarket, Ontario, and this was the first time I’ve tried. Harvested scapes this morning, and they are delicious! Makes me wish I’d planted more! (Only a dozen…)
Best wishes and Happy Gardening!
Karl
Hi Karl, I’m so glad your grocery store garlic experiment worked! Enjoy your scapes. 🙂
Hi Tara, I was rereading this article a second time. I came back because where I live in SW Missouri my bottom three leaves were dead or dying before my scapes came up (about 3 weeks). My question is whether you wait till the scapes come up and then count the leaves from that point? I gave it a week after removing the scapes, which means that about five leaves had died, and I will say that some of the garlic bulbs had lost too much of their covering underground. Any advice? Regardless, Thank you for this wonderful article and the other resources you link.
Hi Eric,
Usually there isn’t much die-back when I’m harvesting my scapes, but we’ve had a very dry spring, so this year I noticed that the leaves were dying back sooner. I’m not sure what’s happening underground, but I suspect the garlic is ready sooner than usual. In past years, I will pull a test garlic when I think it might be ready to see where it’s at.
I have harvested my scapes off of my hardnecks. I also have softnecks growing. When do I cut water off to each if these? Thanks.
Hi Carol, When you can tell harvesting is imminent, stop watering about a week before you pull your garlic.
The leaves on my garlic are drying from the top down this year. It has been very hot is that why? My garlic is nice and big but a few scapes I left have not fully formed the heads on top which confuses me as other years I harvested the garlic when those heads on the scapes would start cracking open so I could see the seed. Can I take the garlic out even if those heads on the scapes are not fully formed.
Hi Holly, It could be a lack of water that caused the leaves to dry out. My garlic was ready very soon after I cut the scapes this year. The weather definitely was a factor.
One more question! My garlic is getting soft at the base of the neck and starting to lean a little. Is that normal? It’s close to harvest time, but concerned about getting so much rain!
Thanks again!
Sue
Hi Sue, Softneck garlic is a bit more flexible, so it should be okay, but perhaps the rain had something to do with this state if it’s hardneck… it’s been an unusually wet year in some places, which may affect a variety of harvests.
Hi there!
I was wondering if you had any suggestions about storage? My basement and garage are too warm and humid, so ai keep them in a cooler area at the back of my house, but inevitably they are shrivelled by February.
Thanks!
Sue
Hi Sue,
I’m not sure what to suggest if there aren’t any places to store. Paper bags with holes can promote air circulation, but if it’s too humid, they’ll probably still shrivel. But what you could do is before February, grate your last garlic cloves into ice cube trays (measure it out in teaspoons) or smaller moulds so that you can take it out to thaw before making a dish in the winter.
I believe I made a mistake of cutting off the stalks from the garlic bulbs soon after pulling them. Is the integrity of the bulb ruined as they are not yet cured? Thanks!
Hi Cyndy,
It’s possible they’re okay. You may just find they have a shorter storage life.
Can I get away with curing garlic outside in the shade? Our dryer vents into the garage(poor design) so it’s often hot and muggy. I’m in a dry high altitude climate but we are in our two months a year of hot weather. Would I be better off bringing it in the house with AC and stashing in a closet?
Hi Jessica, I haven’t dried mine outside as I’d be worried about heat. A closet is probably okay as long as it has good ventilation all around it – and you don’t mind it smelling very strongly of garlic. I would ask around and see what other high-altitude gardeners do with their harvest.