Lift, cure and store

Bulbs are ready to harvest once the leaves have turned yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is ready from late spring to early summer, and spring-planted garlic from mid-summer to early autumn. Do not delay: bulbs lifted late tend to open up and have a shorter storage life. [RHS] Dry the bulbs thoroughly in a single layer in the sun — a well-ventilated greenhouse is ideal — but avoid excessive heat above 30°C (86°F). Initial drying takes two to four weeks, depending on the weather. [RHS] Once the foliage is dry and rustling, cut it off and store the bulbs in a cool, dry place at 5–10°C (41–50°F). Hardneck varieties can store well for four to six months; softneck varieties store for longer, potentially up to a year. [RHS] Bulbs that do not divide into cloves are usually the result of insufficient cold weather over winter, the RHS says. Split bulbs can happen if the crop was harvested late. Green cloves are usually due to shallow planting: they can be used as normal, but are unlikely to store well. [RHS]

A heap of white and purple-flushed garlic bulbs, some with loose papery skins beside them — Garlic with its skins still on (ajos con concha), photographed by Wilfredor on 16 August 2014 at a supermarket in São Paulo, Brazil. This is a market display, not a portrait of a named planting variety.Photo: Wilfredor · CC0 1.0

Many pale garlic bulbs with dried stems, stacked in a green crate, some showing a purple flush — A crate of garlic bulbs (alhos), photographed by Arquivo Abr on 12 November 2003.Photo: Arquivo Abr · CC BY 3.0 BR

Softnecks, with their longer storage, are the ones often kept in a plait. Hardnecks are the ones to use first.

Lift, cure and store

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