Harvesting Garlic

From Gardening

We tried to harvest the garlic a couple weeks back, but it didn't seem quite ready yet. Today was clearly the day, before the daily thunderstorm. You can tell it needs it by how the leaves are browning and the stalks of the softneck variety (on the right) is falling over.

From Gardening

This is a first for me. I also didn't grow up with my family growing garlic. So I read a few books and websites, and gathered that you gently shake off the loose dirt, tie the hardneck heads together in small groups, braid the softneck varieties together, and let them cure in a warm place for 2 weeks or so. I don't really have the right scenario; it is the garage or nothing, which won't be very breezy, but will have to do. I grouped heads of garlic in clumps, braided some, and strung them up around the garage.

In two weeks we will gently brush the (then dried) dirt off, and cut the stalks off the hardneck ones, and prepare them for storage. I'm nervous that they got too wet and that they will mold rather than cure. So we'll see!