When to Cut Garlic Scapes?

Cutting

• Common advice, if you want large, mature garlic bulbs, is to cut off the garlic scapes so the plant focuses its energy on producing bulbs, not flowers. Use a pruner to nip them off as soon as they start to curl, in midsummer. In fertile soil, however, cutting the scapes seems to have little effect on bulb size, according to the Washington State University Extension. Some growers say the bulbs will store better if the scapes have been left on until harvest.

Growing for Scapes

• Soft-neck garlic has been bred not to produce scapes, so if you want scapes, grow hard-neck garlic. Hard-neck types include the Porcelain varieties, Rocambole varieties and striped garlic varieties, such as Brown Tempest, Chesnok Red and Purple Glazer.

Using Scapes

• Brush whole scapes with olive oil and grill or roast them until they are caramelized, but still firm and green. They make a tasty side dish. Or chop the tender, green necks of the scapes for use in stir-fries, salads, pasta, soups or sauces. You can chop and dry scapes for use as garlic sprinkles or reconstitute them later in water.

Growing From Scapes

• Most people plant garlic using single cloves, which then multiply into heads. If you want to grow garlic from the bulbils that form atop the scapes, harvest the garlic bulbs a few weeks beyond maturity, leaving the scapes on the plant until you harvest. Hang the scapes upside down in bunches to air-dry. Plant the tiny bulbs in fall, barely covering them with soil. It takes several years to grow a garlic bulb from a bulbil, and each year you need to harvest the bulb and replant it.