Umm first of all never ever cure your garlic in the sun. They should be cured in a shady place protected from the rain.

Generally it will take a month at the least to cure garlic given the humid summer you have. You can trim off the roots when the roots look dry but keep the stem/leaves until you are pretty sure they are cured. When you cut the stem, a well cured garlic should pretty much look like what you buy at the store, i.e. completely dry center stem.

Thanks ikea!

The "dry them in the sun" idea came from the Vegetable Gardener's Bible. Although he says if you live in the south, lay the stems (of one plant) over the bulbs (of another) to prevent sunscald

Drying in the sun with the stems overlayed is for onions not garlic.

Keep them out of the sun!

Do not rush the process!

I've heard of doing that with onions, but not garlic. I'm in zone 6b. When there are only 4-5 green leaves remaining I carefully dig them up and bundle them together in bunches with string. Then I hang them outside under the shaded porch for about 3 weeks. Large garlic like Music sometimes takes longer. Once I feel they are well cured, I trim the roots off as much as I can, and cut off the tops with about an inch of stem remaining. I place them in brown paper lunch bags, label them, and store them in my kitchen cabinet.
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: My garlic and garden

We use our covered wood shed for the first stage of garlic curing, which is quite aromatic. After a couple of weeks I trim the tops to 4 inches ond off the roots, then let the bulbs cure warm a bit longer. Finally I spread them out on the floor under the cold wood stove for a few days. We get the garlic into mesh bags just as the onions come in, needing the curing space.

Here is a link that might be useful: curing garlic

Yep -- keep them out of the sun. It dries them out too much and shortens the storage time. I dry mine on old window screens propped up, in an airy garage (no car in it -- wouldn't want them to absorb car odors.)

Just to share another method of storage -- I don't cut the tops off until I use them. I braid them into LONG braids, adding one garlic each time there is room for a head on the braid, first on the left, then on the right. It's like making a French braid in hair. Then I hang the braids in a cool room during the winter, and transfer to a closet when I think they might be thinking about sprouting in March.(I actually drape the braids over an old wooden laundry hanging thing.) I cut off a head whenever I need one, and the braids stay where they are. It keeps them nice and airy. My garlic from last July is still perfectly good now. I grow over 200 heads of garlic, so mesh bags or paper bags would take up much more room than this. I also don't ever trim the roots (too much work on 200!)

Interesting that garlic would still be fine a whole year later. I am in 6b and usually hang bunches of 12 plants from the overhead pipes in my dehumidified basement. Once I am sure the necks are dry I cut the bulbs off and store them in ventilated cardboard boxes. They last about 9 months but I am tempted to try the braid thing next if it will improve the shelf life. Just can't imagine how much space that will demand!. I grow about 200 head now.

Interesting that garlic would still be fine a whole year later. I am in 6b and usually hang bunches of 12 plants from the overhead pipes in my dehumidified basement. Once I am sure the necks are dry I cut the bulbs off and store them in ventilated cardboard boxes. They last about 9 months but I am tempted to try the braid thing next if it will improve the shelf life. Just can't imagine how much space that will demand!. I grow about 200 head now.