“There are five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and garlic.”
—Louis Diat

Garlic is more than a kitchen staple—it’s a garden powerhouse. With hardneck garlic, you get a double harvest: flavorful bulbs below the soil and tender, mild garlic scapes above it.

For those of us in northern or cooler climates, hardneck garlic thrives. It has a bolder flavor than softneck varieties and rewards you with those curly scapes—perfect for the kitchen.

But when is the right time to harvest garlic and scapes? The answers are in the leaves, the soil, and even your local weather. Here’s a guide to help you know exactly when and how to harvest both, plus tasty ideas for using scapes in your cooking.

But first...

What Are Garlic Scapes?

Garlic scapes are those long, round, curlicue green stalks that grow out of hardneck garlic in early to midsummer. They end in a pointed flower bud and have a mild, sweet garlic flavor.

Geoff Hamilton, author of The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening, calls scapes “a gourmet delicacy that shouldn’t be missed.”

How to Harvest Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes usually appear 2–3 weeks before the garlic bulbs are ready to dig up. But it depends on your micro-climate, the variety, growing conditions, and so on.

Here’s how to harvest garlic scapes:

1. Wait for the curl: Scapes grow straight up at first, then form one or two loose (beautiful) loops or curls. This is the perfect time to cut them—before they toughen up.
2. Use clean garden scissors or pruners: Snip the scape about 1/2-inch above the top leaf of the plant. You can also snap them off with your fingers. Either way, be careful.
3. Harvest gently: Avoid cutting into the main stalk, which can damage the plant.
4. Check often: Scapes don’t all mature at once. Check your garlic bed every few days (I call checking my garden, "running my trapline) and cut any new curls you see. It's easy to miss a few.
5. Harvest early in the day: Like many herbs and veggies, scapes hold their crispness and flavor best when cut in the cool morning hours.

Cutting the scapes encourages the plant to redirect its energy into the bulb, leading to larger, healthier garlic heads later. You'll find a complete description (with a little humor) for how to harvest garlic scapes in my video:

So, how important is it to stay on top of your garlic scape harvest?

Gary Cirullo, who owns and manages The Garlic Farm in West Granby, Connecticut, adds:

"We cut off the scapes after they curl. With four acres under cultivation, that's a lot of scapes, which have become a sought-after delicacy in the past decade."

Cutting scapes isn’t just about flavor—it’s about bulb size.

"If you do NOT cut the scapes, the size of your garlic bulbs will decrease by 30 to 50 percent," Gary warns.

Now, let's talk about harvesting garlic BULBS...

When to Harvest Garlic Bulbs

In most northern gardens, mid-July to early August is prime time. But rather than relying strictly on the calendar, watch for these clues:

• Leaf condition: Many sources will tell you that it's time to harvest your garlic when the lower half of the leaves turns yellow or brown and the upper half remains green. That's not always the case. Here in Kodiak, Alaska, I find better clues by checking the bulb itself as described next...
• Bulb size and shape: Gently dig around the bulb with your fingers (or pull one plant). If the cloves are plump and well-defined (where you can feel the dents between the cloves), you’re good to go.
• Soil condition: Dry soil is ideal to avoid bulb rot and protect the papery wrappers.
• Weather forecast: If heavy rain is coming and your garlic is close to ready, harvest early or cover your plants to avoid damage.

Garden expert Barbara Damrosch puts it plainly:

"Hardneck garlic doesn't forgive the tardy harvester. A few days late, and the bulb begins to split and deteriorate."

As a rule of thumb, when the scapes are ready, the bulbs are 3–4 weeks away from harvest.

How to Harvest Garlic

1. Loosen the soil with a blunt-tipped digging fork—don’t just yank on the stalk.
2. Lift the plant gently to avoid bruising or tearing the papery skins. This is especially important if your soil is wet.
3. Shake off loose dirt instead of washing (washing can lead to rot). If the soil is really wet, sometimes I'll dip the garlic bulbs in a bucket of water to loosen the dirt clods.
4. Bundle or rack for drying: Tie 4-7 bulbs together with twine or place them on a drying rack.
5. Choose a shady, well-ventilated spot: A garage, shed, or covered porch works well.
6. Cure for 4–6 weeks for better flavor and longer storage.
7. Trim stalk for storage: When you can no longer smell garlic when you sniff the top of the bulb, it's okay to trim the stalk.

Martha Teichner, author of When to Pick What, says:
“Don’t be too hasty to use your freshly harvested garlic. Curing not only allows the flavors to develop but also extends the storage life. Patience is key.”

Once cured, cut stems 1–2 inches above the bulbs and store them in a cool, dark, dry place.

How to Use Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are a delightful addition to many dishes. Here are some quick, easy, recipe ideas:

• Sauté with scrambled eggs or tofu
• Toss into stir-fries or grilled dishes
• Make pesto or hummus
• Use as a pizza topping
• Chop into soups, stews, or chili
• Pickle or freeze them for later
• Add to potato salad, pasta, or quiche
• Blend into flavored butter or olive oil
• Add to flower arrangements for a fun twist

Did I miss any of your favorites?

Final Thoughts

Hardneck garlic gives you two harvests in one season—the flavorful bulbs and those gourmet scapes. By learning when to harvest each, you’ll get better yields, better flavor, and more creative dishes.

As horticulturist Elizabeth Murray once said:
"Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint, and the soil and sky as canvas."