How and When to Harvest Garlic + Curing for Long Term Storage 

My sister grows garlic and she just harvested it. She bought organic garlic years ago and uses the largest bulbs for planting every year. No disease at all. As for the scapes. These are her favorite part of garlic. She makes scape garlic and other products with it.

Hi John, one of my favorites, growing my garlic!. I use it, all the time in most of my cooking. I'm on zone 7 , I planted garlic last October and would be harvesting it sometime at the end of June . I use the leaves in marinades for my meats or in soups etc.. they are awesome, garlic is so good. I saute the garlic scapes they are delish as soon as I see they are growing I cut them I don't want them to take away from the garlic bulb size. I dry the garlic in the garage I tie them in bunches and wait until it dries. The drying time varies on how large are the plant bundles. I try to save some of the garlic cloves of this harvest for next October planting. Thank you for your videos they are very helpful. Blessings Laura M

Just harvested garlic for the first time today! Thanks to you I was able to figure out which plants were ready. They’re now hanging in my shed. Can’t wait to try them when they’re cured! You’re the best dude, seriously. You’ve taught me (and countless others) some really valuable skills.

John your garlic will get bigger if you harvest the scapes when you find scapes! Also, garlic will be juicier if you dry it "Garlic down, leaf up.

I just watched three other garlic videos and still learned several new points in this one! Great video!

The scapes make delicious pesto. Use sunflower seeds instead of the more expensive pine nuts. Yum.

Btw, for those that missed this point...Just fyi, he wasn’t putting down china, what he said was that often imported garlic, which is mainly from China, (has to be) we don’t know if it is irradiated (which is because of U.S. importation regulations, that require certain agricultural plant/seeds, all be irradiated to reduce the risk of importing pests, and even mold or fungus, that could devestate U.S. crops), so he was saying that basically, there are a lot of unknowns, llike the irradiation, potential chemicals that were sprayed on them, (remember, you are what you eat, because plants get their nutrition from the soil, so they too are what they eat, so do you want to take just whatever into your own system?), and if you think about it, even the soils they were grown in highly influence the produce, you know nothing about their soil or water quality, with their being from out of Country where they have vastly different, and ususally less strick regulations...For example, how would you feel if you found out that the garlic bulb you planned to regrow and eat as your food, was grown close to Fukasima (sp? Or how ever it is spelled) & its nuclear spill? Not saying they are, only that there is no way for you to know...Another example, if you look at the mass lettuce pandemic anfee yrsnago, the lettuce was all produced in MX, where they were watering the plants basically with sewage water that in turn lead to E.Coli or Listeria vontamination, which then was spread to the processing facilities+then down the food supply chain to resturants+people’s tables (all true+verifiable on the FDA+CDC’s websites)...But, as he says, with organic garlic, local grown to you, (or heirloom seed+plant varieties), there is far less risk of contaminants...that’s all...pardon the lengthy explanation, but the details+examples help to get across/make the point more understandable to more people.....Wishing you a Good 2018 Holiday Season!

I just harvested my first bulbs of garlic but wasn’t sure about the greens which were aromatic and seemed edible, too. So glad you touched on that topic. Thank you!

tHANK YOU, i PLANTED SOME LAST FALL AND THIS ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN TO HARVEST, ALSO THE CURING PART. THANK YOU, JOHN

I’ve seen many videos on garlic !! and you gave the best overall description from start to finish ...thank you John. “Jersey in the house”

Here in SE Idaho we have some amazing local varieties to plant in late Oct, early Nov. We cover with straw over the winter and can harvest in late July. I have been pleasantly surprised how large and uniquely FLAVORFUL homegrown garlic is. This year I will harvest 5 varieties Korean and Muzak are my most favorite.

Excellent tutorial. Thank you. Very complete and DITTO the importance of knowing the sources of your produce!

Best tuition on garlic growing I’ve seen yet. 👍

just about to pull our garlic as well. Good tips

we pickle our scape stems.. add some hot peppers for an amazing twist!!

I watch this video every year as a refresher course

I have grown garlic for few years I am still learning thank-you

Good info John keep sharing. I like to watch your videos even if I can not always grow or apply what you teach. I do wished I had more warmer weather year around instead of the deep freeze we get here during the winter. :) I live in zone 3 Minnesota on a farm. Here the garlic depending on the variety is harvested about August. I have always removed the scapes as soon as they appear to promote bulb/clove growth. We also plant the individual cloves in late September to mid October, though this year I planted/replanted my cloves as they sprouted about May in my garden (I had some cloves I missed from the year before haha). We will see how this method works this year. Here we have better luck with hardneck types and elephant garlic as long as we mulch it with leaves/grass clippings about 3-4 inches each fall after planting and give it lots of good compost. I think the hardest part about gardening in my neck of the woods is the really cold winters and quack grass!

Thank you, just harvested my garlic, and my wife is Italian.

here in Alabama we pull ours on June 21 thats the rule from the old timers. You are supposed to wait til the top flowers and starts drying. if it doesnt flower then its not ready.

I eat a few bulbs a week of garlic a week, one of my many new things to grow is going to be Garlic. Thank you for this and many of your vids.

So glad to find a video on this. Im starting a few garden pots for my root veggies. This instructor really knows his stuff. Super Handsome Instructor, wish he lived in Colorado ! Major eye candy helps to motivate us 40 year olds !

I am single and grew 55 bulbs. I am Italian.... I am thrilled that some of mine are bigger than yours..... I guess I did good for my first crop…. I am going to dehydrate much of it and grind or garlic powder/salt. Thanks I actually did everything on time. Nice video thanks for another good one,

That was the best information on growing garlic I have come across! I plan to plant some garlic this fall and now have all the information I need to do that. Thank you

Harvest the scapes before the flower heads start to show and they'll be tender enough for stir fry.

I feed most of the leaves to my chickens. Of course we save some for cooking and salads. Natural way to keep them from mites lice and mosquitoes and they love them . My chickens eat well. Excellent bug control

Garlic scapes are actually quite tasty. Pull the whole stem and cook it like how you would cook asparagus (I like it crunchy so I don’t cook it for long). I enjoy garlic chive scapes too.

I didn't know you could eat the greens. I'm growing garlic for the first time now and this video helped slot thankyou

I just love John! He's the first person that introduced me to urban gardening. I love how he said its going ward of vampires so seriously and matter of fact like it's true heheh luv it! Thanks for the tips

I normally save my largest cloves to replant. And pickle my smallest cloves and store them in oil in the fridge

Haha Haha! Great information! I discovered that I planted my one garlic clove upside down! I'm a complete newbie! Let me go dig that poor thing out!

Great video like usual John!

Great video and super informative! I can't wait to try homegrown garlic for the first time this year.

I got my garlic to plant from Aldi. They did great. Thanks for your information. Rhonda

"I definitely got some garlic breath and that's gonna ward off the vampires." lol I love watching this guy.

Great video! Silly me, I just got done trimming the dry parts of the garlic. But those were my markers to let me know they were getting close to harvest. Now I will just let them get nice and dry and brown at the base so that I'll know they're ready. I also learned about the curing part! Thanks!

The Korean garlic spade side dish is another super delicious way to enjoy the garlic plant too! When I grow my own garlic I'm going to mix the flowers in too!

Always entertaining and educational--Can't believe John isn't at 1 mil plus subscribers. Everyone should learn what he's got to teach.

Planted my Spanish Roja Hardneck Garlic earlier this month can't wait for the harvest next year.

Another important reason not to use grocery store garlic for your seed cloves...they often carry white rot. Once that gets in your soil you can't get rid of it for a loooong time. I always harvest the scapes when they begin to curl and freeze some, eat some and make some into pesto. It is a double harvest for me.

I like to leave 1 or 2 scapes grow to fruition. When they straighten up fully, I know its time to harvest. Simple!

I have never grown garlic before but my sister in law said she had some “old timey” garlic from her husbands grandmother so I have no idea what kind it is but this video really helped! I’m in Nc. I was wondering where to Get more babies to plant but when I pulled it up I found small ones all in the ground so yay! I unfortunately had already washed mine off some before I saw this video and I’m hoping drying them off and hanging them up I haven’t ruined them. Guess we will find out!

Ours is about ready to be harvested--great info! We have a huge bed of HUGE garlic---ExCiTeD!!!

I do live in Northern Vermont! Thank you because this is the first year Iv'e tried growing it.

Thank you for sharing. I have some garlic I need to harvest. I was wondering when I should do that and how to cure it and this video came at the right time :)

Lol first video I have seen of yours and I loved it ♡ made me laugh and I learned what I wanted to! Your voice is easy to listen to which is important! Love it!

I whatch ur garlic video becouse i grow garlic every year thanks for explaining like teacher ❤

I pick the scapes off as soon as they curl around and before they produce seed heads. I keep them in a bag in my crisper. Chop them up and Sautee with other veggies, put into soups, etc. I also freeze them.

Thank you for all this great information! I have a clove growing on my window sill and wasn't sure what to do!

Thanks for the info I learned great info . Allready harvested the garlic this year But have learned bunches for next year.

Interesting fact: in the original book Dracula by Bram Stoker the garlic flower was what warded off vampires, not the cloves. Major Hollywood misconception. The book is better than any of the movies anyways.

Very informative. Thank you for sharing!

Thanks John! I'm getting close to harvesting my 1st garlic. You helped me get going on herbs with your videos!!! I also raise red worms, so it's all organic. I've been drinking Rosemary, and Parsley tea. I'm just starting to expand it. Thanks again!

Just what i needed to know. Mine is almost ready! Thank you.

Great video!!! Thank you, I'm planting some today and it's the best informative one yet

You have a treasure here...Thanks Bro! Loved this. So happy to grow garlic!!!! I've got a nice crop this season...looking to make some raised beds...rocky soil here in the Catskills! Best to you

Just planted mine today...I am late as usual...but I did start the roots first...thanks for the video!!! I didn't know what to do next or even how garlic grew!!!! Guess I am not as country as I thought!!!

John you are a pleasure to watch so passionate & inspiring ~ your videos always make me feel motivated to grow my greens.

Nice educational video. I want to know how you store garlic after harvesting to make it last for a long time. I am just beginning to grow my own food in Philadelphia PA.

I’m wondering why you mention several times that one should disturb the soil “as little as possible “ when harvesting garlic. Why? Each spring just before planting we rototill our raised beds. This is definitely disturbing the soil. Are we doing the wrong bed prep? Thanks- we’re new to gardening!

Very helpful! I am about to harvest my first garlic bulbs😊

Excellent and knowledgeable information. I'm Mexican. We love garlic too. I don't care if nobody kisses me. Thanks

Huh, I had no idea what those scapes were, I checked out this video too see when I should harvest my garlic, looks like I should have harvested it weeks ago. This explains a lot! I will know better for next time. Thanks for the video!

It's my first time watching you. I thouraly enjoy your videos. Fun and educational. And on a personal note.. You have amazing eyes. Lol Looking forward for more

Nice lesson...watching from Nakuru, with the Rift Valley in Kenya....I love that.

First time growing garlic, have just harvested them so was needing to know 'what next' so, great information, thank you. Greetings from over the pond!

That covers everything I needed to know. Awesome. Cheers Mate :)

I'm so glad I came across this video, as we currently have hardneck and softneck garlic growing but needed to know where to go from here! I do have a question - is there a difference between when the two varieties will be ready for harvest? Thank you so much!

Great video! You answered so many questions I had. I'm regrowing my first (probably Chinese) garlic kitchen scrap. I put it in a pot too... idk what's gonna happen but it will be a fun journey.

So many channels so little time, but very glad to see you are still growing strong, enjoyed this short video on a crop that i can also grow over here. So tnx for sharing and keep up the good work ... :)

Thanks John. Great details that are too often left out. Well done as always.

Juicing the leaves with Votka makes excellent mouthwash.

Pesto made with the garlic greens and the scapes tastes real good! Thanks for the video Great info!

Thanks for the info John. Just getting ready to plant some in Florida. Happy Gardening to you.

You did very good on your teaching of this subject! Very informative! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

I wait till there is 5 green leaves left. 5 wrappers on bulb will protect from harvesting and drying. Count on losing 2 wrappers handling, will have 3 good wrappers. I remove scapes normally, this year leaving half intact for my own experiment.

Thank you John, appreciate your video.

you want to remove those scapes soon after they emerge to increase bulb size.

You only want 4-5 green leaves left before harvesting according to Keene Garlic. They also have very detailed curing info. The object is to create as much air circulation around each bulb. So don't bunch too many of them together. They cure best in cooler 60s or 70s temps with lots of airflow. So it might be better to cure them inside in a dark room with a fan until all the leaves turn brown.

Thank you so much! I love your energy 🌸 and love to garden like you!!

What??! Get your finger around it and stick up in?! "That's what she said! " That got me in trouble last time!!... Omg! 3 kids later and watching how to feed them!... Lol

Exactly what I needed to learn today! Thank you!

Thank you John for making your awesome videos.

Very young garlic (green garlic) looks exactly like a scallion and can be eaten similarly. It is very mild and tasty. Can be used in mashed potatoes, pesto, salads, sauces.

Great video. Thanks for mentioning irradiated garlic, I was wondering about that.

Great video as you explain how and why.

Thanks - great explanations re when and how to pick garlic.

Nice, informative video. I just subscribed and had a question about the medicinal benefit of garlic. Is there a difference in the potency based on the variety of garlic, whether it be soft or hard necked?

Thank you for this. Excellent information. I now feel really confident moving forwards with growing garlic. Plus I'm going to sound like an expert on my allotment with the other allotmenteers!

Not Italian but I ate the leaves plain right off the stalk as a kid out of my grandmas garden

I've heard of some of the benefits of garlic maybe I'll start with a little pot this September to see how it goes now that Fall and winter are around the corner.

Here I've seen that people tie the leaves together some time before harvesting so the plant focus on the bulb instead and become bigger. If I remember right they try to do it when the flower's stem is starting to grow.

Perfect Timing John! Just about ready to dig mine! Thanks Much & Have Fun!

sir helpful Iam from Kerala(INDIA)

great video. Thanks for the information. I'm off to harvest my garlic now!!!

If you cut off the scapes(before they flower, when they're curled, cut right down to where it comes out of the stem), eat them, your garlic will get bigger....the energy will go into bulb size instead of flower budding....

Who would've known that everything in the garlic plant is edible? Not me. Thanks for the information, 👍. Nice video

Thanks. You are a great teacher

i'll tell ya the best way THIS IS NO JOKE! FREEZE it whole even with the peels on it in cloves it don't shrink nor rot> just as fresh as the day you froze it> I did a experiment with a whole clove, and it worked was easy to peel slice and JUST LIKE THE DAY IT WAS FROZEN no favor lost either

Hi John, could you please do a video on how to plant garlic as a perennial. I'm a beginner gardener (haven't even started yet) and I'd really like to plant perennials to start. Garlic is my favorite food so I'd like to start with that.