On the Wasatch Front, we harvest garlic during the last week of June or the first week of July. A good indication that the garlic bulb is ready is the browning of the leaves. When the garlic plant is 1/3 to 1/2 brown, it’s time to dig it up. If you wait too long, the garlic bulb or head will start to split apart into individual cloves.
- Dig deeply a few inches away from the garlic plant so you don’t risk slicing into the bulb with your shovel. Gently lift/lever the soil with the shovel as you pull the plant up and out of the ground.
- Leave the garlic plant attached to the bulb. Shake off the dirt from the roots and store in a dark, dry, well ventilated place (the garage is good) for 3 or 4 weeks.
- After 3 or 4 weeks, cut the plants from the bulbs. Keep the bulbs in a dark, dry, cool place (like the basement) in a container that provides airflow (like a basket). They will keep like this all winter. I made the mistake one year of storing them in ziploc bags. Even though I left the bags open at the top, the garlic bulbs still got moldy and rotten.
