A simple trick to tell when to harvest garlic so it stores for months
Garlic keeps best when it’s lifted at exactly the right moment. Use the balance of green and drying leaves, then confirm by checking one bulb in the bed.
Garlic keeps best when it’s lifted at exactly the right moment. Use the balance of green and drying leaves, then confirm by checking one bulb in the bed.
Yellowing garlic leaves aren’t always a problem. Learn when it’s a normal sign of ripening, how to judge harvest timing by variety, and how to lift and cure bulbs for the longest storage.
Learn the key signs that garlic is ready to lift, how to cure it for long storage, and why removing scapes on hardneck varieties can help you grow bigger bulbs.
Early June is the make-or-break moment for hardneck winter garlic. Removing the flower scapes at the right time helps the plant put its energy into bigger, better bulbs—and the scapes are delicious, too.
Garlic often starts yellowing in May after heavy rain and cold nights, usually from a temporary nitrogen shortage rather than disease. A quick foliar feed can stop the decline within days and keep bulbs sizing up properly.
You can pre-sprout garlic quickly at home using nothing more than a plastic bottle and water. In just a few days you’ll see roots and green shoots, ready to pot on into compost.