If you planted garlic last fall, you’ll probably be harvesting it sometime next month–depending on your location. If you are growing a hardneck variety, the garlic will send up a scape this month that would, if allowed, eventually flower. {The scape usually appears about a month before harvest time–so make a mental note to help you know approximately when your garlic will be ready}.
You don’t want to allow the scape to flower, because it takes valuable nutrients from the bulb and makes the actual garlic bulbs much smaller.
Don’t just cut the scape off and toss it, though! You can do sooooo much with those babies. If you never have, I seriously recommend making garlic scape pesto. Scapes have a milder flavor than the bulbs, so the pesto is super tasty without being over-powering. You can also chop them like scallions and saute them in stir fry, soups, etc.
At the very least, chop them up and use them as an organic bug killer {add water, chopped garlic scapes and dish soap to a spray bottle, it takes daily effort, but it works pretty well on pests like aphids}.
If you didn’t grow garlic this year, be on the lookout for garlic scapes at your farmers’ market. This is the one time of year they are available for purchase, which makes them somewhat of a delicacy in my opinion.
Now, onto the bulb. Knowing when to harvest the garlic bulbs is pretty simple once you get the hang of watching for the signs. First, as I mentioned, it is about a month after the scapes appear {for hardneck varieties}.
Second, it’s best to harvest garlic when the bottom 5 leaves have turned brown. If you wait any longer, the leaves will continue to brown, and the garlic does not store as well. The tops of the garlic should still be green as can be, those green leaves will protect the bulb during the curing process {drying out the garlic for storage}.
To harvest garlic, carefully dig around the bulb. Don’t pierce the bulb in any way, or it won’t be suitable for longterm storage. Life the entire bulb and stalk out of the ground and allow it to dry for several days in a dark, cooler spot {like a garage}.
Don’t worry about the dirt left on the roots, you can deal with that later. Cure them with the roots and stalk intact. Once the garlic is cured, you can cut off the roots and stalks {it usually takes about 2 weeks to cure} or leave the stalks and braid them for storage–it’s completely up to you.
What is your favorite thing to do with garlic scapes? When do you typically harvest garlic in your neck of the woods?
~Mavis
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