There is nothing about your garlic that needs “fixing.” Midsummer is the time when garlic is ready for harvest, and it sounds like your garlic is ready. My own garlic was ready to harvest a little earlier than usual this year. I’m going to blame the unseasonably hot weather we’ve had in June.

When garlic first shows signs of yellowing, it’s time to cut back on the watering for that part of the garden (but make sure the rest of your garden still gets deep, infrequent watering). This helps the garlic mature and reduces storage problems after harvest. There’s no need to wait for the plants to dry out completely before harvesting, though. As a matter of fact, you’ll get better-quality heads of garlic with longer storage life if you harvest while the plants are mostly green with some yellowing on the leaves.

Garlic roots keep the garlic heads firmly anchored in the soil, and the tops can easily break away from the bulbs if you try to pull the plants up from the soil, leaving pathways for spoilage organisms to get into the cloves. Instead of pulling, loosen the plants from the soil carefully with a spading fork or shovel so you don’t break away the green tops. If you accidentally damage any garlic heads or cloves while lifting the garlic, use those cloves first. Also, don’t cut or tear away the roots; they should be left to dry just like the tops.

Let the plants dry completely in a protected place that’s out of direct sun and protected from rain or irrigation. Good air circulation is also important, so spread the plants just one or two layers deep while they dry. Leave your garlic to fully cure this way before cutting back the tops and roots. This usually takes at least a week or even two weeks, depending on the weather. You’ll know your garlic is ready for storage when the tops and the roots are completely dry.

Courtesy Meredith Seaver, USU Extension

Once the bulbs have cured, you can cut back the tops, leaving just an inch or two above the bulbs. Trimming away most of the roots will make storage easier, too.

Good airflow is important during the days between harvest and storage, but it is also important during the two to three months when you’re storing and using your garlic. Store your garlic heads in mesh bags or ventilated bins or boxes in a cool, dry place.

Hardneck garlic is the most common kind of garlic grown in our local home gardens because of its winter hardiness and large cloves, but the downside of those qualities is a shorter storage life. Don’t despair if you find that your harvest was more abundant than you can use up in just a couple of months. Instead of letting garlic cloves get shriveled and tough, freeze part of your harvest sooner rather than later as whole, peeled cloves to use throughout the winter. Just make sure those cloves are securely sealed in airtight containers or bags to protect the rest of the food in your freezer from any garlicky aroma and flavor!

Once you see the leaves on your garlic beginning to yellow, it’s time to cut back on watering to prepare the plants for harvest.

Without good storage conditions, a beautiful garlic harvest can be ruined within several weeks. Store garlic in shallow layers in a cool, dry location with good air circulation.

A spading fork pushed straight down into the soil makes it easy to loosen garlic plants in the garden without damaging the cloves.

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