Harvesting Garlic and Garlic Scapes
Growing your own garlic is rewarding and very simple. There are two main types of garlic: hard neck and soft neck. The soft neck varieties grow many more cloves than the hard neck and can be braided for storage since they do not have a hard stem in the middle of their stalks. In the mid-Atlantic region of the US, hard neck varieties are grown since they tolerate a cold winter and are best planted in the fall.
I planted my hard neck garlic cloves last October. The cloves quickly shoot up stalks when the air is warm in the fall. In the winter, the plants lay dormant waiting for the soil and air to warm. I protected my plants from extreme cold by surrounding them with leaves.
By mid April, the stalks of the garlic plants are green and the plants are thriving. Figuring out when to harvest the garlic is a little tricky. According to my research, you should harvest garlic when the outer stalks turn brown. It can be difficult to tell how many should be brown, since you can’t see the garlic heads. You can dig around the heads to see if the bulbs are large enough to harvest. At the beginning of June (garlic takes about 9 months until harvest, kind of like having a baby!) I dug up one garlic head to check on the progress. What I found was that the plants that were growing in pots without good drainage were turning brown and the bulbs were starting to develop mold. I harvested all of those plants right away.
When I went to check on the plants growing in my garden, to my surprise they were growing scapes! Scapes are the beginnings of the garlic stalks flowering. They are edible and a good signal for how close the garlic is to being ready to harvest. Cut the soft stems with the scapes as low as you can go while the stem still feels soft. The scapes look like spring onions with a big wart on them. But they taste like a mild clove of garlic and are great for using in cooking.
Cutting the scapes off enables the plants to put all of their energy into growing the bulbs instead of producing flowers. This stage of garlic growth is so short that you can only get scapes at a local farmers market in June or you have to grow your own garlic. 2-3 weeks after you cut the scapes, the garlic is ready for harvest. Harvested garlic should be wiped clean of dirt (not rinsed) and left to dry in a cool dark place for a few weeks. Properly dried garlic will store for many months. The fresh garlic can be eaten right away, and the drying process prolongs the shelf life of your crop.
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