When to Harvest Garlic
After eight months or so of waiting, harvesting garlic is one of the most satisfying jobs of the growing year. Timing it well matters, though. Lift too early and the bulbs are small and don't keep. Leave it too late and the cloves start to pull apart, and the bulbs won't store as long.
The good news is that the plants tell you when they're ready. You just need to know what to look for.
Quick answer
Garlic is ready to harvest when the leaves start turning yellow and dying back. For autumn-planted garlic, that's usually from late spring to early summer, often June or July. Spring-planted garlic is ready later, from mid-summer to early autumn. Ease them out with a fork, treat them like eggs, and give them a few weeks to dry before you store them.
How to tell garlic is ready
Watch the leaves. As the bulbs mature, the foliage begins to yellow and wither, starting with the lower leaves. A widely used rule of thumb is to harvest when around a third to half of the leaves have turned brown, while the top few are still green. By then the bulbs are full-sized and still well wrapped in their papery skins.
If you're unsure, scrape the soil away from one bulb, or lift a single plant to check. A ready bulb is plump, with the cloves clearly formed underneath a firm outer skin.
Don't wait until all the leaves have died completely. The skins around a bulb left too long start to break down, the cloves begin to separate, and the bulb won't keep nearly as well.
When is garlic ready in the UK?
Planted in autumn: ready from late spring to early summer, usually June to July.
Planted in late winter or spring: ready from mid-summer to early autumn.
Warm, dry springs can bring the harvest forward, and cooler, wetter years can delay it by a couple of weeks. Let the leaves be your guide rather than the calendar.
For planting advice, see when to plant garlic in the UK
How to lift garlic
Choose a dry day if you can. Push a garden fork into the ground a little way from the plant, and lever gently to loosen the soil beneath the bulb. Once it comes free, lift the bulb out by hand. Tugging on the stem risks snapping it off and leaving the bulb stuck underground.
Handle the bulbs carefully. Bruised or damaged garlic doesn't store well and can rot, so use any that get knocked straight away. Brush off loose soil, but don't wash the bulbs.
Harvesting container garlic
Pot-grown garlic is the simplest to harvest: turn the container upside down over an old sheet and sift the bulbs out of the compost by hand. There's no risk of spearing them with a fork.
For container advice, see growing garlic in containers
Drying garlic after harvest
Freshly dug garlic needs drying before it will keep. Lay the bulbs in a single layer somewhere warm, dry and airy, with the leaves still attached. A greenhouse with the door propped open works well, as long as it doesn't get hotter than around 30°C. A dry, airy shed works too.
Give them somewhere between two and four weeks. They're done when the foliage and outer skins crackle like paper when you handle them. If the weather turns wet at harvest time, bring the bulbs under cover straight away rather than drying them outside.
Storing garlic
When they're fully dry, snip off the roots and dead leaves and keep the bulbs in a cool, dry place, with 5 to 10°C being ideal. Softneck garlic, with its flexible stems, can also be plaited and hung. Check your stored garlic now and then, and use any bulbs that feel soft first.
Expect hardnecks to last roughly four to six months in storage. Softnecks are the long keepers, often lasting up to a year.
For full growing advice, see how to grow garlic in the UK
For watering before harvest, see how often to water garlic
Common questions
When should I harvest garlic?
Lift it once the foliage is yellowing, typically when a third to half of the leaves have browned. For autumn-planted garlic in the UK, that's typically June or July.
Can I leave garlic in the ground too long?
Yes. Garlic left in the ground after the leaves have died back tends to split open, and the bulbs don't store as long. Harvest as soon as the plants show they're ready.
How long does garlic take to dry?
Usually two to four weeks, somewhere warm, dry and airy. It's ready to store when the leaves and skins feel papery and dry.
Can I eat garlic straight after harvesting?
You can use it straight away. Freshly harvested garlic has a milder, juicier flavour, but it won't keep until it's been properly dried.
Harvest timings based on RHS guidance.