How to Prevent Garlic From Sprouting

Arrange garden harvested garlic bulbs on an elevated mesh screen so they are not touching. Pick a dry, warm location that is well-ventilated, such as a garage, attic or outbuilding. Leave the bulbs there for two to four weeks until the foliage and outside of the bulbs are dry.

Cut the dry foliage off with a pair of scissors or hand clippers that have been sterilized with a disinfectant spray. Leave 1/2 to 1 inch of the foliage on the bulbs to prevent rot. Cut off the roots and use your hands to brush off any soil. If you purchased garlic bulbs, you do not need to dry or perform this step, because they are already cured.

Place the garlic bulbs in a mesh bag and hang it in a dark, well-ventilated, cool location. Ideally, this area should be consistently between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 60 percent to 70 percent. If your garlic is fresh from the garden, you can also braid the dry foliage rather than cutting it. Then hang them in the same, ideal location. Under these conditions, garlic bulbs can stay fresh for up to seven months.

Store the bagged bulbs in the refrigerator, preferably in a drawer with the humidity set to low. Do this when you don't have another area to store bulbs. Because of regular bouts of light exposure, bulbs can break dormancy sooner in the fridge than they would in complete darkness. Garlic bulbs will sometimes stay fresh for up to six months in the refrigerator.