Each year at this time we ask each other with pure excitement the same question, “Is it ready yet?” There is nothing difficult to growing or harvesting garlic and sometimes the more information you read can only make the process seem involved when it is not. However, you do want to harvest your garlic at the proper time to ensure increased storage life. 

We currently grow a variety of 300 garlic plants that will last us for a glorious 9 months, originally we started with a few dozen. There are preferences to harvesting, curing and storing garlic (we’ve tried many) but here on the coast in Mid Coast Maine we have found the following techniques to prove successful for us each year. First in order; pick a dry day.

Our garlic patch

We wait for the bottom 2 or 3 fronds to die off before we harvest as shown above. Don’t wait any longer unless your garlic is for immediate use otherwise the cloves will expand, open up and force the protective skin to separate and expose the clove inside the bulb. This will result in a shorter shelf life.

Digging up garlic

“Treat them like tomatoes not potatoes” is what should come to mind at this point. We use a shovel and carefully dig under the roots to loosen the soil before removing the bulb. Be attentive and do not to bruise or nick the bulbs.

Occasionally we get twins

We harvest the garlic 10 at a time, carefully twist the roots to remove the bulk of the soil and then immediately bring them to a shaded area to be very quickly rinsed (bulb only DO NOT saturate). There is much debate over whether to rinse the garlic before curing. Our soil is rarely dry and as shown above the bulb comes up with too much earth. Even after we carefully remove the bulk, there is far too much left for curing and creates a ridiculous mess for storing and use. Grit in my cooking is not an option and we have yet to have an adverse affect to rinsing.

Drying rack

Here in the shade the garlic is left to dry. Normally we would leave them out overnight however the forecast was for possible evening showers so we transfered the drying racks into our shed.

Tying up garlic

The following day we tie up the garlic 10 to a bunch and prepare to hang them.

Curing the garlic

Here the garlic will cure for 3 to 4 weeks after which we will cut the stalks and leave a 1/2″ stem. The garlic will get transferred to onion bags and remain in our basement for use.

There is nothing like the taste and health benefits of your own fresh garlic and we encourage you to start a patch of your own. Our original garlic purchase was made from Johnny Seeds here in Maine, however there are countless resources available. We usually plant our garlic the last week in Oct. or the first week in Nov. and will be posting our methods then.