Picking Garlic

July 23, 2025

It's garlic picking time when the bottom leaves of the plants start to die back and turn brown, the top leaves are still green, and the soil in the bed is completely dry.

Knowing when garlic is ready to pick can be tricky. If it’s harvested too soon, the cloves are small and underdeveloped. If done too late, the clove heads begin to separate, making them more vulnerable to decay. Yesterday was just right. My gardeners harvested our entire crop - the softnecks, which produce long-lasting bulbs with many cloves around a soft center stem, and the hardnecks, which are noted for their stiff central stalk, fewer cloves, relatively short shelf life, and intriguingly complex flavors. And all from our friends at Keene Garlic, a family-owned farm in Wisconsin.

Enjoy these photos.

: Once the top of the garlic plant begins to die back, it’s ready to pick. My gardeners waited for a dry day to harvest – this allows the soil to dry out, helps to prevent rot, and makes it much easier to pull the stalks and bulbs from the ground. The main harvest time is usually late July through mid-August.

: Garlic is planted in the fall. I’ve been planting Keene Garlic for quite some time and am always pleased with their growth and taste. The next several photos are from a sunny, mild early November day of last year.

: Here, Ryan prepares the bed for planting. The majority of garlic in the US is planted from mid-October through November before the ground freezes. When planting multiple rows of garlic, the rows are at least one-foot apart.

: It is also important to give each clove enough room to grow and develop. These are at least two to three inches from each other.

: And then the garlic is left to grow. Garlic loves a rich fertile loam soil or a silty loam soil. It also grows best in an area that drains well – the cloves can rot if they sit in water or mud.

: In June, one can see the scapes beginning to form. Garlic scapes are the flower buds of the garlic plants. They’re ready about a month before the actual garlic bulbs. Scapes are delicious and can be used just like garlic.

: Scapes can be cut when the center stalks are completely formed and the ends are curled.

: Yesterday was a beautiful day to harvest garlic. Matthew uses a pitch fork to gently loosen the soil in between the garlic stems.

: Each garlic is pulled out from the base of the leaves so that the head comes out completely.

: Here’s Ryan with one of the first garlic heads of the season.

: As Matthew continues to loosen the soil, Ryan picks the garlic – it’s a very systematic process.

: The whole garlic is called a ‘head’, a ‘bulb’, or a ‘knob.‘ Each small, individual segment of a garlic head is a clove. Garlic is both delicious and nutritious. It is known to lower cholesterol, decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, and is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins, such as vitamins B6 and C.

: Ryan shows two bunches of freshly picked Elephant garlic. Elephant garlic is actually a leek that resembles garlic in growing and in appearance. It has a very mild flavor. It is most commonly found in grocery stores. Jumbo sized Elephant garlic will have about eight to 11 cloves depending on the size.

: It isn’t long before the entire bed is picked.

: The next step is to prepare the garlic for curing. Ryan cuts off the top of each garlic leaving about a three to four-inch stalk.

: Trimming the stalks makes it easier to store and keeps them neat and uniform.

: No bed is ever left empty during the garden season. After the garlic is harvested, the bed is cleaned and prepped for the next crop.

: Matthew puts down a fresh layer of Miracle-Gro Organic Raised Bed & Garden Soil, which contains a quick release natural fertilizer.

: The bed is ready for planting. What do you think I’ll plant next?

: Look at the bounty! But it is not ready to eat just yet. It must still dry. Curing is a process of letting the garlic dry in preparation for long-term storage. There’s no need to wash garlic – the point is to completely dry them out. Well-cured, well-wrapped garlic bulbs will keep six to eight months or longer. The best storage temperature for garlic is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with low humidity at about 60-percent – and never store garlic in the refrigerator. I will soon have lots of delicious garlic to use and share.