Garlic – Nine by Eighteen

Garlic Harvest 2025

SabineJuly 18, 20251 Reply

*From left to right: hardnecks, shallots, softnecks*

Today, I harvested my garlic. A little later than in previous years, but it had just not been ready for harvest a week or so ago. I harvested 16 hardnecks (Red Russian) and 20 softnecks (Transylvania). I had originally planted 15 and 20, respectively, but one of the hardnecks split and produced two heads.

I will air-dry them on the porch (away from the sun) for a couple of days and then hang them in my back hallway to cure until the leaves are completely dry and the hardneck stalks very firm. This typically takes about two weeks for the softnecks and three weeks for the hardnecks. I will then clean them, remove all dirt and the very outer papery layer, trim the stalks of the hardnecks and braid the softnecks. But not before I put the largest heads aside as seed garlic for the fall.

I also planted shallots this spring, but only three of the many I planted grew. Not sure what went wrong.

*Hardnecks to the left of the string, softnecks on the right*

*DYI shade rig. Umbrellas weighed down by gardening tools 🙂*

Garlic Harvest

SabineJuly 12, 2022Leave a Reply

I harvested my garlic today. It was a good amount and decent-sized. I harvested 27 heads of hardneck garlic (Red Russian) and 30 heads of softneck garlic (Transylvania). 57 heads total of 60 that I had planted in the fall. I will air-dry them now for about two days and then hang the stalks to cure in my back hallway for two to three weeks, depending on the humidity. They will then be cleaned, and I will save two or three of the biggest heads of each variety for planting in the fall. The softnecks will be braided and the hardnecks, which we will consume first, will just be stored in a basket or wooden bowl.

*Hardnecks in the front, softnecks in the back*

Braiding Garlic

SabineAugust 14, 2020Leave a Reply

My teenager insisted that I wait with braiding the garlic until she got back from a trip. So I did. She pleated both braids that now hang in our pantry. Overall, I harvested 51 heads of garlic this summer, which should take us well into next spring.