Knock off the worst of the dirt, leave the roots. I cut the tops down to about 8" and then bundle in 10's with a rubber band and hang in my shed. Be sure you label the variety. A rubber band, not string, is important because it will contract as the stems dry and hold them securely.

After a month or two, trim off the remaining stems, rub off the outer skin until nice and white, and trim off the roots. Store in a cool dark place.

Steve

Similar to what Steve said but I don't use rubber bands. I use baling twine with a slipknot around 15 stems or so.

I don't cut the tops at all, I think the bulbs need them to cure properly.
-Mark

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This post was edited by madroneb on Fri, Aug 2, 13 at 21:49

I have made some wood frame boxes, about 2' square, out of 1 x 4 with hardware cloth for the bottom. I lightly bush off dirt when I harvest the garlic but I do not cut the tops as they seem to cure better with the full tops attached. The garlic goes into the drying boxes, in a single layer, for about a month. The boxes are stacked one on top of the other, with a spacer in between each one to promote airflow.

After the stems are thoroughly dry, I trim the roots and the tops, and remove any residual dirt. Then the boxes get my onions in them and I repeat the process. The onions are usually ready for potatoes to go into the boxes when I dig them.