If you grow hardneck garlic, there's one harvest you don't want to miss—and it happens before you dig up the bulbs.

Garlic scapes are one of my favorite mid-summer harvests, here in Kodiak, Alaska. They're delicious, easy to use, and removing them helps your garlic bulbs grow larger. In this video, I'll show you exactly when to harvest them and share my favorite oil-free, whole-food, plant-based garlic scape pesto.

Watch the video here:

In this video, you'll discover:

• When garlic scapes are ready to harvest
• Why timing matters when harvesting scapes
• The difference between hardneck and softneck garlic
• My favorite garlic scape pesto recipe
• A clever way to grow carrots and garlic together
• My unusual hands-free filming setup! [Don't laugh!]

What are garlic scapes?

If you've never grown hardneck garlic, you may have never seen a garlic scape before.

These curly flower stalks only appear for a short time each year, and they're one of the tastiest parts of the plant. But they're much more than a seasonal treat.

The secret to bigger garlic bulbs

Many gardeners know they should remove garlic scapes.

Far fewer know when to do it.

Harvest too soon—or too late or not often enough—and you can miss the sweet spot. In the video, I'll show you exactly what I look for before making the cut.

Hardneck vs. softneck garlic

Not all garlic produces scapes.

If you've ever wondered why some gardeners harvest them and others don't, the answer is surprisingly simple.

This isn't your typical garlic scape pesto recipe

Most garlic scape pesto recipes use olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.

Mine doesn't.

After my husband's TIA, we changed the way we eat, and that inspired me to create a different kind of pesto—one that's simple, flavorful, and made entirely from whole food, plant-based ingredients.

I'n the video, I'll show you the ingredients I use to make it. Then you just toss everything in the food processor!

A simple garden trick

Did you notice something growing between my rows of garlic?

There's a reason for that.

It's one of my favorite ways to get more food from the same garden bed, and it's easier than you might think. I created a video about how to get two crops.

It's called, How You Can Plant Garlic in Fall for a Double Crop Next Spring that shows exactly how this simple succession planting technique works.

Don't let garlic scapes go to waste

I'm not trying to scold you, but garlic scape season doesn't last long.

Whether you turn them into pesto or try them another way, they're one of the best bonuses of growing hardneck garlic.

If you watch the videos, let me know in the comments: Have you ever cooked with garlic scapes?

Thanks for being here... and for being you,

Let’s Keep the Conversation Growing...

Join my newsletter: https://success.gardenerscoach.com/newsletter
Follow me on Instagram: instagram.com/theupbeetgardener
Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theupbeetgardener
Explore my free garden resources: https://success.gardenerscoach.com/library
Shop my trusted gear: https://theupbeetgardener.com/resources/
Browse my courses: https://success.gardenerscoach.com/compost-academy
Join the UpBeet Gardener community: https://success.gardenerscoach.com/tug
Purchase my book, Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul: https://geni.us/chicken-soup-gardeners
Take my “What’s your composting style?” quiz: https://success.gardenerscoach.com/compost-quiz
Watch the PBS documentary about our garden: https://youtu.be/OIXYaZy3qag