There are a gazillion posts about when and how to harvest garlic all over the interwebs. They’re all variations on the same theme and they’re all generally accurate, but I want to add a bit of perspective for the typical home gardener growing a few head of garlic rather than a field of them.

First I’m going to summarize the basic garlic harvesting method which provides a good basis of understanding why it is done this way, and then we’ll move to the “Realistic” method for most gardeners.

First the when:

I generally aim to harvest when the bottom three leaves are dry AND there hasn’t been rain or irrigation for a few days.

You obviously can’t control nature, but the reason dryer soil is preferred is so you don’t end up with lots of clumps of soil on your garlic heads and the paper will dry faster, protecting the delicious cloves sooner.

You want to carefully loosen the soil, such as with a pitchfork, before lifting the heads. If you grab and yank through heavy, compacted soil then the head may, according to some, cause the sun and moon to collide. That may not be entirely accurate, but it can bruise the head which will affect how well the heads store for long periods. By the same token, if you’ve got clumps stuck on your garlic you want to gently tap them against the soil, NOT bang two heads together or whack the head against a rock or the side of a raised bed.

Second the curing:

Harvested garlic do NOT want sunlight when curing. It will cause them to spontaneously combust. That also may not be entirely accurate, but they can get sunburned, which will affect how well the heads store, so do keep them shaded. I like to leave them on a very large slotted picnic table in the shade for a day, which allows for air flow top and bottom.

Before long term storage:

Garlic should be hung off the ground (or laid on a chicken wire table or something similar that allows air flow) for 2-4 weeks in a shady, dry location with good air movement. People often use garages and open sheds for this.

We have no garage and our shed is too small with no air movement, so we use our unfinished basement. The garlic are hung from the ceiling and I keep an inexpensive oscillating fan on low speed blowing on them. Overkill? Maybe, but it works.

You want to leave the garlic like this until all the leaves are brown and dry and your floor has a mess of dry dirt and fallen garlic leaves on it.

Finally, long term storage:

Now all you need to do is, using scissors or clippers, cut the stem about 1″-2″ above the head and most of the roots. I then place them in mesh bags, like the ones some produce (lemons, limes, onions, avocados, others) come in from the market and I like to hang them from the basement ceiling. This keeps them out of the way and allows for air movement, though the fan is no longer necessary.

All the above sounds more cumbersome than it really is, especially once you’ve done it once or twice. However, some of it may not even be necessary.

Now for some rational perspective:

I use the above methods because I grow a year’s worth of garlic every year. We grow 180 160 heads each year, and that provides us with enough garlic to sow next year’s crop AND to last us throughout the year.

You probably don’t do that.

Let’s be realistic. Most people aren’t growing a year’s worth of garlic and next season’s seed garlic. Most people are growing a dozen heads of garlic and you’ll use them within a few weeks. If this year’s harvest will all be consumed within two months, do you really need to do all of this work for long-term storage? No, absolutely not.

Recognizing that most people don’t need to worry about long-term storage, here are some more rational suggestions for the more rational gardener:

Rationally harvesting and keeping garlic:

Harvest earlier than the “three bottom leaves are brown” and the “paper” won’t have dried as well around the bulbs and as a result, they won’t keep as long. That, however, doesn’t matter to most people because most people are growing a few heads that will all be consumed within a few weeks.

Harvest later than that and the bulbs will start to come apart from the stem, leaving them more open to disease, which could prevent them from lasting as long. That also, doesn’t matter to most people because the heads will all be consumed within a few weeks, before most bacteria can do much harm. You should, however, not wait too long as it gets kind of ugly. (See the photo above.)

Harvesting around when three leaves have died – a few days earlier or later – won’t make a difference in terms of size though. Most of the growing is already done.

Do place all the garlic someplace dry and shaded with air movement to dry further until use. All, except the head that you’re going to use right now, because you can begin using the garlic you’ve harvested immediately. Yes, you can harvest and use that garlic immediately.

There’s no reason you need to wait for garlic to dry before using it and, I would argue, the flavor and moisture levels are significantly different than after curing. (They’re also more difficult to peel when fresh – try it!)

For any remaining garlic that you’ll use within the next few weeks, you can loosely follow the instructions above with the most important things being:

1. No sunlight
2. Place where there’s some air movement

And make lots of food with your fresh garlic where it can shine. I’m partial to hommus and pestos, but whatever works for you.