The time to harvest your garlic can vary each summer, depending on the weather, but it will fall sometime between the first week of July and the first week of August.

Watch carefully and gauge your harvest time by the colour of your garlic tops. Your garlic tops will start to change from green to brown and they are ready to harvest when the top 2/3rds have turned brown. If possible withhold watering for a week or two before you harvest.

To cure, place your harvested garlic, with the tops still on, in trays making sure each bulb has airspace around it out of the sun and the rain. Your bulbs will cure in about two weeks. If you prefer, you can hang your garlic to cure it out of the rain and direct sun. I like to photograph my harvest with the variety tags, so I can easily refer to how the varieties compared.

To store your garlic, wipe the dirt from the bulbs with your hands, trim the tops to a couple of inches and place in cardboard boxes. Choose a cool, dry and dark location much like you store your potatoes and onions.

Happy Gardening!

Shauna Lambeth ©

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