When is my garlic ready to harvest?

Garlic takes 8-9 months to grow to maturity, starting from a single clove and developing into a large bulb. As harvest time nears, the garlic bulbs will start pushing out of the soil, and once around 6 leaves from the base of the plant have turned brown it is ready to harvest. Try to get it out of the ground on a dry day, as it will be faster to cure and will store better. 

How to harvest, cure and store garlic

You should be careful when harvesting garlic not to simply pull it out of the ground if you have heavy soil. This can result in snapping the top off and leaving the bulb behind. You may need to use a small trowel or fork, but be careful not to damage the bulb as you dig either. Garlic can easily be bruised, so it should be placed carefully into any containers to carry it to the storage area. 

The roots of the garlic should be cut off right away as they can draw moisture into the bulb from the surrounding air if it is wet, and prevent it from curing. Then the garlic can either be plaited into braids and hung, or laid out in a single layer to dry. After a few weeks, once the garlic is dry the tops can be cut off close to the bulb and it can be stored in an open box or container in a cool dark place. 

Still to come

Next time I will write about pruning tomatoes. 

This week's recipe links

Easy Curried Potatoes from By the Forkful. 

Zucchini Soup with Cannellini Beans, Potato and Ditalini from Tina's Table. 

Roasted Swiss Chard with Feta from All Recipes. 

Celery Salad from Love & Lemons. 

More info

To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.