Garlic spends about 9 months in the ground — more time than most other garden fruits and vegetables. A cool spring and early summer can delay harvest, while hot conditions can speed it up. The best time to harvest is often a matter of balance and will depend on your growing conditions, climate, and region. Below are the key signals to look for to judge when your best harvest time will be.
Reading the Leaves
A typical garlic plant has about 10 leaves. Each leaf represents a wrapper around the garlic bulb. As harvest time approaches, you will begin to see the bottom leaves start to die and lay on the ground. Each green leaf still standing represents an intact protective layer (wrapper) on the mature garlic bulb.
As you watch the leaves begin to dry, you’ll know harvest is coming soon.
Don’t Harvest Too Early
Bulb formation happens in the last 4–6 weeks, with the majority of bulb development occurring within the last month. This is when bulbs are gaining weight and size — so it is very important not to harvest too early.
Try to harvest when you see 4–5 leaves lying on the ground. This will give you 4–5 good protective layers around the garlic bulb. Another 1–2 layers will be removed once the garlic has cured and you begin cleaning, leaving 3–4 layers of protection around the bulb during storage.
Don’t Wait Too Long Either
Just as you don’t want to harvest too early, you also do not want to wait too long. The longer garlic stays in the ground, the more wrappers will disintegrate — potentially leaving your cloves and bulbs with little to no protection.
Soil Conditions at Harvest
Harvest is easiest when the soil has had some time to dry out. We usually stop watering about 10 days to 2 weeks before we begin harvest (when 3–4 leaves are dry on the ground).
Some areas of the country have large amounts of rain and the soil won’t be able to dry out prior to harvest. Excess moisture in the soil can cause staining on the bulb — this won’t affect garlic flavor, but you may need to cure your garlic longer to allow the bulb to properly dry.
On rare occasions where the ground is very wet, there is a chance of root or bulb rot. If you have saturated soil or muddy conditions at harvest, remove as much mud or dirt as possible and hang the garlic where it can get plenty of airflow — adding a fan if possible. Keep garlic out of direct sunlight, as it can sunburn and shorten shelf life.
When Is Curing Complete?
We leave the roots and leaves on our garlic bulbs while they cure. The curing process is complete when all of the leaves are completely dry and the outer layer of wrapper easily peels off the bulb.