You'd have some success at stretching a harvest by choosing a variety of garlics to plant together. Some will bulb earlier than others. You can also plant extras and use their greens instead of waiting for them to bulb. Maureen

you can't stretch it much. Left in the ground after the leaves turn brown, the wrappers will disappear and you'll be left with a handful of cloves. Leave them any longer and the cloves will start sprouting. Always best to harvest when there is still a green leaf or two.

We start our harvest with green garlic in early April and in early May start harvesting scapes. Our first garlic harvested in Mid may (The Early turban types ) and harvest our last at the beginning of July with Metchi and Spanish roja. So we harvest from Early April till Late June or Early July. We usually have garlic to sell at our farmers market from April till December .

Why is it an issue?

I can understand commercial growers stretching things. But for the home gardener, what would be the point? Properly cured and stored garlic, depending on variety, keeps for from about 8 months (for hardnecks) to more than a year (for softnecks).

Where in Brooklyn are you? I'm an old East Flatbush boy myself.