What to Do if Garlic Flowers? (Scapes, Bulbs, and Harvest Tips)

So you’re out in the garden, proud of your garlic patch, and then you notice something odd—a tall, curly green stalk shooting out of the plant with what looks like a little alien bulb on the end. Yep, that’s your garlic trying to flower. The big question: what now? Should you let it go, cut it, eat it, or panic? (Spoiler: don’t panic.) The answer depends on whether you’re growing garlic for bulbs, flowers, or maybe a bit of both. Let’s dig in.

Is Garlic Still Good After It Flowers?

Here’s the deal: flowering is completely normal for hardneck garlic varieties. Softneck garlic usually doesn’t flower, which is partly why it’s the one you often see braided and hung in kitchens—it’s easier to store. If your garlic does send up a flower stalk, don’t freak out. It doesn’t mean the bulbs are ruined, but it does mean the plant is splitting its energy. Instead of bulking up those cloves underground, it’s putting effort into reproduction up top.

Translation? Smaller bulbs, less storage time, sometimes a little less flavor. But edible? Totally. Some of my best-tasting garlic has come from plants that threw out surprise flowers—I just had to eat it sooner.

Option 1: Growing Garlic for Flowers

If you’re the adventurous type, you might actually want the flowers. Garlic scapes and even the blossoms are edible, mild, and a little bit sweet—kind of like garlic’s polite cousin. They’re amazing in stir-fries, pesto, or even just sautéed in butter. I once pickled a jar of garlic scapes on a whim and ended up eating the whole thing in a week. No regrets.

Bonus: if you let the flowers mature, they’ll produce tiny bulbils you can plant. Just know it takes a couple of years to get full-sized garlic from them. It’s a patience game, but if you like the idea of growing garlic from scratch without buying new cloves every year, it’s worth trying.

Option 2: Growing Garlic for Bulbs

Now, if you’re in this for big, fat garlic heads to chop, roast, and toss into everything you cook (hi, that’s me), then flowering is not your friend. The plant diverts energy away from the bulb. That’s why most garlic growers swear by cutting off scapes as soon as they curl.

Wait until the scape makes one full loop or curl.
Snip it off cleanly with scissors or garden shears.
Leave about 6 inches of stalk so you don’t damage the leaves.

Yes, the plant might sulk for a few days, but this redirection of energy pays off in bigger bulbs. Plus, you get to eat the scapes—it’s like a free side harvest.

When to Harvest Garlic (Before or After Flowering?)

General rule: harvest before garlic fully flowers. If you let the flowers develop too much, the bulbs will shrink and the flavor drops. The best indicator isn’t the flowers, though—it’s the leaves. When about 40% of the leaves have turned yellow and the rest are still green, that’s your sign. For hardneck garlic, that’s usually 7–8 months after planting. For softneck, closer to 8–9 months.

Choose a dry day to harvest (wet soil makes everything harder).
Loosen the soil with a garden fork, don’t yank—garlic bruises easily.
Dust off the bulbs and cure them by hanging in a shaded, airy place for 3–4 weeks.

After curing, trim roots and stalks to about 1/4 inch and store in mesh bags. Done right, softnecks will last months; hardnecks a bit less. If you’re storing through winter, you’ll thank yourself later.

Can You Stop Garlic From Flowering in the Future?

Here’s the short, slightly annoying answer: not completely. Most hardneck garlic varieties naturally send up scapes in late spring or early summer. But you can manage it so it doesn’t steal from your bulbs.

Start watching for scapes in mid-spring—those tall, curly stems are your early warning sign.
Snip them when they’ve curled once or twice, before the bud swells too much.
Plant varieties less prone to flowering, like Purple Stripe, Chesnok Red, or Italian White, if bulb size is your main goal.

I once waited too long, thinking I’d get “extra flavor” from letting the scapes grow. Instead, I ended up with garlic heads the size of golf balls. Lesson: cut the scapes, save the bulbs.

Quick FAQs About Garlic Flowering

Are garlic scapes edible?

Yes, and they’re delicious. Think garlicky green beans. Chop them into stir-fry, blend into pesto, or grill them whole with a little olive oil.

What happens if I don’t cut garlic flowers?

You’ll still get garlic, just smaller bulbs. Perfectly edible, just not as impressive.

Do softneck garlic varieties flower?

Rarely. That’s why they’re the go-to for braids and long-term storage. If you see a flower stalk on a softneck, consider it unusual but not a disaster.