Once your garlic is ready to harvest, dig the bulbs up carefully with a garden fork or shovel. Remove most of the soil, being careful not to hit the bulb (it bruises easily), leaving the roots & stems. Tie the garlic with twine in bunches of 6 to 12 plants. Hang the bunches in a place out of direct sun and rain. A shed or under a large tree (as long as there is no rain). Temperatures should be around 80°F and garlic should be cured for at least two weeks. Once cured, trim off the leaves (don’t cut too close to the top of the bulb) and roots, leaving about 1/4” of roots.
Garlic can be stored as whole bulbs for a few months to a year, depending on the storage conditions and the variety, softnecks store longer than hardnecks, but all your garlic can be preserved for longer storage by freezing or dehydrating. Store whole, unbroken heads in a cool (about 60-65 degrees is ideal), dry, dark place with moderate humidity. Keep them in a mesh bag, paper bag or cardboard box with good air circulation. If you braid your garlic for curing, you can leave it in the braid for storage as well, just cut off the heads when you’re ready to use them starting at the bottom of the braid. Do not store bulbs with damaged cloves, as they spoil easily, use these first. For more information on preserving garlic, read our blog How to Store and Preserve Garlic. Don't let your homegrown garlic spoil before you can use it ... preserve it!