Keep garlic in a dry, dark and well-ventilated place at around 10–15 °C. Do not seal it in a plastic bag or store it in the refrigerator. Hang a braid and arrange cleaned bulbs so that air can circulate freely around them. Properly cured garlic can keep from the summer harvest until the following spring.
Storage begins with several weeks of curing
We harvest the garlic in late June. We leave the freshly lifted bulbs in the field for two days so the soil on the roots can dry. This is only the first, brief stage of the process and does not yet make the garlic ready for long-term storage at home.
After two days, we move it under cover. It hangs there in bundles and cures naturally in the air for six weeks, without drying ovens. Once the stalks feel like paper, we clean and sort the garlic. Only after this stage do we prepare bulbs by the kilogram, braids, seed garlic and bulbs for bouquets.
- Harvested in late June
- Two days of initial drying in the field
- Six weeks of curing under cover
- Cleaned and sorted after curing
Choose a dry, dark and well-ventilated place
For home storage, choose a dry, dark place where air can circulate around the bulbs. The recommended temperature is around 10–15 °C. Use these four qualities as a checklist, whether you are storing individual bulbs or a whole braid.
Check the space before putting away a larger quantity. If it is enclosed, has no airflow or is clearly damp, it does not meet our published storage guidance. A braid needs somewhere to hang, while cleaned bulbs need an open, well-ventilated arrangement.
- Temperature around 10–15 °C
- A dry place
- Darkness
- Air circulation
How to store cleaned bulbs bought by the kilogram
Keep cleaned and sorted bulbs whole until you need them. Arrange them so they are not enclosed in airtight packaging. Garlic sold by the kilogram has already cured for six weeks, so you do not need to repeat the process we use immediately after harvest.
The garlic has not been treated with sprout inhibitors. Suitable storage conditions therefore matter: dry, dark, well ventilated and around 10–15 °C. When stored correctly, garlic from the summer harvest can be used until the following spring.
- Keep bulbs whole until use
- Do not seal them in airtight packaging
- Keep the space dry and well ventilated
How to use and store a garlic braid
A braid is practical for storage because it hangs and allows air to circulate around the bulbs. Hang it in a dry, dark and well-ventilated place. When you need garlic, break off a bulb at the bottom and gradually work upwards.
The rest can remain tied together and hanging. There is no need to move the braid into a closed container, as doing so would remove its main practical advantage. The same temperature guidance applies as for individual bulbs: around 10–15 °C.
- Hang the braid
- Take bulbs from the bottom upwards
- Leave the rest in a well-ventilated place
What to avoid when storing garlic
Do not keep garlic in the refrigerator or seal it in a plastic bag. Our published farm guidance advises against both because garlic can begin to mould or sprout in those conditions. Choose storage that allows air to circulate instead of closed packaging.
After unwrapping a gift bouquet, remove the bulbs from the paper if you will not use them straight away and move them to the same conditions as the rest of your garlic. Keep seed garlic dry and well ventilated until autumn planting, then plant it within the recommended October-to-November window.
- Do not use a plastic bag
- Do not store garlic in the refrigerator
- Do not leave garlic enclosed in gift wrapping
- Always allow air to circulate