Don’t Let Your Garlic Crop Go to Waste: The Key to Perfect Timing
Written by Jeff Favelle August 16th, 2025
As the summer progresses, many gardeners are eagerly anticipating the fruits (or rather, bulbs!) of their near year-long labor. For those in temperate climates who planted garlic last fall, the time for harvest is mid summer of the following year. A long crop no doubt, but just as planting too early or too late can impact your yield, so too can delaying your garlic harvest.
Garlic is a staple in many kitchens, and for home gardeners, there’s nothing more rewarding than harvesting a beautiful crop. However, knowing when to harvest is the key to ensuring your hard work pays off. Harvesting too late can jeopardize your entire crop’s long-term storage potential, making the bulbs go bad before you can use them all.
The Ideal Harvest Window
Hardneck garlic, which is planted in the fall, lies dormant over the winter, and grows rapidly in the spring, is typically ready for harvest in mid-summer. The ideal time to harvest is not when the plant is at its peak green, but when about one-half to two-thirds of the leaves have turned brown and died off. This will be the time when the bulbs have reached not only their greatest size, but also their longest storability.
Recognizing the Signs of a Late Harvest
The most obvious sign that you’ve waited too long is when all of the foliage has completely died off and turned brown. When you dig up these bulbs, you might find that they are split, dried up, or shrunken.
What Happens When You Harvest Too Late?
While late-harvested garlic is still perfectly edible as long as the papery outer coating remains intact, the main problem lies in its inability to be stored for a long time. The protective outer layers of the bulb begin to break down in the ground, compromising its integrity and causing the cloves to separate. This leaves the garlic susceptible to rot and mold, drastically reducing its shelf life. A crop that could have lasted 10 months might only last for two or even less
The Takeaway
To ensure your garlic lasts from one harvest to the next, it is crucial to harvest within the ideal window. Paying close attention to the foliage is the best way to get it right and enjoy your homegrown garlic for months to come, right up until the timing of the next harvest!