🧄Garlic Harvest Season: How to Know When Garlic is Ready to Pick
It’s garlic-picking time here on the farm, and I can honestly say this has been my best garlic harvest yet.
Garlic is one of those crops that reminds you just how much farming depends on timing. You plant it in the fall, watch it come back to life in the spring, and wait while the bulbs grow beneath the soil. Then, almost all at once, it is time to get it out of the ground.
We nearly missed the perfect harvest window this year.
Looking back, I probably could have picked our garlic about a week sooner. We had several full days of rain, and once garlic is mature, too much moisture can start breaking down the outer wrappers around the bulb.
I was nervous when I finally started digging, but the bulbs came out looking amazing. After four years of growing this garlic, it felt so good to see how far we have come.
Knowing When It Is Time to Pick
I do not harvest garlic by one exact date. I watch the plants, check the bulbs, and keep a close eye on the weather.
The lower leaves begin turning brown and drying out while several of the upper leaves are still green. That is the window I am looking for. If every leaf has died back, the protective layers around the bulb may already be starting to break apart.
- The bottom leaves are brown and dry.
- Several upper leaves are still green.
- A test bulb looks full and well developed.
- Heavy rain is not about to sit on mature bulbs.
When I think the bed is ready, I dig one test bulb first. That tells me much more than the calendar ever could.
Watch the Weather Along With the Plants
The garlic may be telling you it is ready, but the forecast matters too. A stretch of heavy rain can quickly turn a good harvest window into a risky one. This year was a reminder that sometimes you have to stop waiting and start digging.
How I Clean the Bulbs as I Harvest
I loosen the soil around each bulb with a shovel or garden fork instead of pulling hard on the stalk. Once the bulb is out, I shake away the loose dirt but do not wash it.
I also peel off the two lowest outer leaves, pulling them down and off the bulb. That removes much of the dirt and leaves me with a beautiful, clean-looking bulb before it is hung to dry.
You do not have to do this. You can leave those leaves and outer layers in place and clean the bulb after curing. This is simply the way I like to do it because it gives the garlic such a nice, clean finish.
I leave the rest of the stalk, leaves, and roots attached for curing.
A Good Garlic Harvest Starts Before Halloween
My garlic routine begins in the fall. I separate the bulbs into individual cloves and try to have every clove planted before Halloween.
Before planting, I prepare the beds with the natural fertilizer we collect from our rabbits, goats, and chickens throughout the year. That farm-made fertility goes into nearly all of our garden beds.
Once the cloves are planted, I cover the bed with straw. I leave that straw in place all winter, and I do not remove it when spring arrives. It stays right there until harvest.
What Made the Biggest Difference This Spring
When the garlic begins growing again in spring, I add bone meal over the bed and water it in well. Bone meal is an organic source of phosphorus, and it has made a huge difference in helping me grow larger bulbs.
I may also feed the plants with rabbit manure or chicken manure tea during the growing season. Then I let the garlic grow until scape season.
When the scapes begin to curl, I cut them so the plant can put more energy into the bulb underground. We get to enjoy the scapes in the kitchen, and the garlic gets that final push toward producing a large bulb.
Why I Grow Music Garlic
Choosing the right garlic for your climate matters. Here in New England, I grow hardneck garlic because it handles our cold winters well.
About four years ago, a local friend who grows a lot of garlic helped me get started with Music garlic. I have loved this variety. It grows well here, gives us delicious scapes, and produced especially beautiful bulbs this year.
I may try another variety and add more beds next season, but we will see. Every year in the garden gives me another idea for the next one.
Save the Biggest Bulbs
When I sort the harvest, I save some of the largest and healthiest bulbs for fall planting. Those strong cloves become the beginning of next year’s crop.
Rotating the Garlic Bed
I do not like to plant garlic in the exact same place every year. Different crops use the soil differently, and rotating what grows in each bed helps keep the garden balanced.
Now that the garlic is out, I plan to plant kale or cabbage in its place as we move toward the cooler months. Those plants have different needs, so they can follow the garlic without immediately pulling the same nutrients from the soil.
Meanwhile, next year’s garlic will go into a different bed that has been prepared with more of our natural farm fertilizer.
Hanging the Garlic in My Pantry
After harvest, I hang the garlic in my pantry. It is my dry spot where the bulbs can stay out of direct sunlight while still getting the airflow they need.
I leave the stalks and roots attached and allow the garlic to cure there for about two to four weeks, depending on the humidity.
The garlic is ready when the stalks and necks are completely dry, the roots feel brittle, and the wrappers around the bulbs feel papery.
At that point, I trim the roots and stalks and store the finished bulbs somewhere cool, dark, dry, and well ventilated.
If You Grow Only One Crop, Make It Garlic
If you do not consider yourself a gardener, or you do not want to grow anything else, garlic is the one crop I would tell you to try.
It is easy, forgiving, and much less hands-on than many garden crops. You plant it in the fall, cover it with straw, give it a little attention in the spring, cut the scapes, and then wait for harvest.
You do not need a large garden either. Garlic can grow in raised beds, small spaces, or even pots, as long as the container is deep enough and drains well.
There is something incredibly rewarding about planting one little clove and pulling up a full bulb the following summer. Even if garlic is the only thing you grow, it is worth making room for.
My Best Garlic Year Yet
After all that rain, I truly thought I might have waited too long. Instead, I pulled some of the largest and nicest bulbs I have grown so far.
This harvest reminded me that gardening is part preparation, part patience, and part learning to move when the weather tells you it is time.
I will save my biggest bulbs, prepare a new bed, plant the cloves before Halloween, cover them with straw, and begin the whole process again.
And honestly, after seeing this year’s harvest, I may need to make room for even more garlic.
Have you picked your garlic yet this season? I’d love to hear what variety you grow and how your harvest turned out.
I’d love to see your garden and harvest photos. Please tag me on Instagram @thehippiefarmer or share them with us on Facebook. I’m not able to answer questions in the comments, but I always love reading them!
With love from the farm,
The Hippie Farmer 🐐
🌿 Get More Homestead Recipes & Herb Guides
Join The Hippie Farmer family and receive seasonal recipes, herbal remedies, homesteading tips, farm updates, exclusive discounts, and new product releases delivered right to your inbox.
No spam. Just wholesome recipes, herbal wisdom, and life on the farm.