Tips on Harvesting Garlic

Tips on harvesting garlic.   Growing garlic is very rewarding.  It is simple to plant and fun to watch as it grows as well as it is good for you.  

Tips on harvesting garlic

Garlic is a great addition to any garden.  With a few simple steps, you can harvest a successful crop.

When we plant garlic

When we first started to grow garlic we planted it in the spring.  We were concerned with our harsh winters that the little bulbs tucked under the soil would not survive the winter months.  We waited until early in the spring to plant it.

One year we decided we would plant it in the fall and just see how it grew.  Early in the spring, the little green grass-like leaves poked up out of the ground, even before the frosts were over and we were still getting snow.

We found garlic is pretty cold hardy.  The leaves continued to grow fairly quickly, despite the colder weather.  As it warmed up it seemed to thrive even though it was still freezing at night.  As the nights warmed the garlic grew in leaps and bounds.

We keep the garlic watered but we are very careful not to overwater.  Overwatering may cause the bulbs to rot in the ground.  We simply water it about once a week or when the ground under the topsoil is dry.

Garlic scape

Soon the garlic puts on green spiral stalks called scapes.  This is when the garlic becomes very interesting to watch.  We cut the scapes off of the garlic leaving only one or two per row.  This will help us gauge when the garlic is ready to harvest.

Don’t make the mistake of throwing away the scapes.  If you grind them up this can make an awesome pesto.  (When it is green)  We use ours on pizza as well as a few other dishes.

As we move into July in our area the green leaves start to turn a little yellow.  The scapes start to uncurl and begin to stand straight up.  Watch the scape.  When it is standing straight up your garlic is ready to harvest.

I enjoy helping with the harvesting process.  We have many sizes of bulbs depending on what kind of garlic it is.  What a rewarding experience this can be.

We love growing our own produce in the garden.  We know where it came from and how it was grown.  Now, this is rewarding!

You can read more about our experience growing garlic with step by step instructions and pictures here

I hope you enjoyed my blog post.  Be sure and share it with someone that might enjoy it.

Happy gardening!