Garlic Harvest!

I’ve been waiting since last October to see what would become of the 20 little garlic cloves I planted in our raised beds. Since at least half the leaves were finally dried and the stalks had flopped over, today was the day to find out! Everything I read said using a trowel to loosen the garlic bulbs before pulling them out is a good idea. So, trowel in hand, I had my little garden helper dig up the first bulb…

We loosened each bulb and then gently lifted them out of the soil. Wow! Each tiny clove ….turned into a large cluster of cloves! All of the 20 cloves grew in nice bulbs, some larger than others:

Next we cleaned the dirt off each bulb but left the roots and leaves intact. Now we need to find a spot to let them dry for 2-4 weeks. Since this is our first time with garlic we’re following some instructions we found online.   “Put them in a shady spot, not too hot and no sun since that can change the flavor”..of course the next plant book we checked said set them in the sun to dry! Anyway, once they dry we’ll remove the roots and braid the stalks together! The excitement generated by our “garlic pulling” made the long wait worth it!

Can’t wait to get out there next fall and plant some more with my favorite little helper!

For some reliable information on growing and harvesting garlic check out the Master Gardener article found here.