Should I Cut Off My Garlic Scapes?

In early summer, hardneck garlic sends up a curling, looping green stalk topped with a pointed bud — the garlic scape. New growers often wonder whether to leave it or remove it, and the answer is one of the most useful things to know about growing garlic: yes, you should usually cut them, and the reason is all about bulb size. Better still, the scapes are a delicious bonus crop. Let me explain.

What a scape is

The scape is the flower stalk of hardneck garlic — its attempt to produce a flower head and tiny aerial bulbils at the top. (Softneck garlic usually does not produce scapes, which is one way the two types differ.) The scape emerges in early summer, curling into a loop or two before straightening as it matures. It is a normal part of hardneck garlic's growth, not a problem — but what you do with it affects your harvest.

Why you should cut it

Here is the key reason: if you leave the scape, the plant pours energy into developing that flower stalk and its bulbils, at the expense of the bulb below ground. Removing the scape redirects that energy back into the bulb, producing a noticeably larger garlic head — studies and growers consistently find bigger bulbs when scapes are removed. So for the best bulbs, cut the scapes off. Do it when the scape has curled once or twice but before it straightens and toughens, snipping or snapping it off above the top leaves. This is one of the simplest, highest-payoff jobs in growing garlic.

The bonus harvest

Garlic scapes are a prized delicacy and one of the nicest perks of growing hardneck garlic. They are tender, with a mild, fresh garlic flavour, and are delicious chopped into stir-fries, sautéed, grilled, or blitzed into a garlic-scape pesto. So when you cut your scapes for bigger bulbs, you are not throwing anything away — you are harvesting a gourmet ingredient weeks before the bulbs are ready. Many gardeners look forward to scape season as much as the garlic harvest itself.

When you might leave some

There are a couple of reasons to leave a scape or two: the curling scapes are attractive, and if you want to propagate from the tiny topsets (bulbils) for future planting stock, you can let a few mature. But for eating-bulb production, cut the scapes off most or all of your plants for the largest heads, and enjoy the scapes in the kitchen. Watch for them in early summer on your hardneck garlic, cut them young and tender, and reap both bigger bulbs and a delicious extra crop.