Lyle, good to hear that your garlic is growing well. Not sure if your different climate makes a difference in the growing techniques or timing. Up here in Wisconsin in mid to late July the tops (leaves) start to yellow and eventually flop over. I dig the bulbs up when the tops start to yellow but before they start to flop over, if you wait too long the bulbs will start to break up and divide into the individual cloves. I dig the bulbs up with a spade, a spading fork will also work. They will have incredible roots and you will not be able to just pull them. I start at one end of the bed (my beds are typically 3-4' wide and 8-10' long with the garlic planted on a 6" grid) and dig in 6-8" away and loosen up the soil along the row then I grab in with my hand under a bulb and pull it free from the soil, I knock off the soil and set the bulb aside and grab the next bulb until I finish that row, then I move to the next and dig in again along the row continuing this until I finish digging up the bed. After I get the garlic bulbs all dug up I spread them out on some old window screens and set them in a shady place on saw horses (Adirondack chairs work well too.
) to allow good airflow to dry. Do not wash the bulbs! After a few hours I knock off any additional soil that has dried and loosened up. I like to move the screens into the garage or shed at night to keep any dew or rain off of them. I set them back out each morning unless it's going to rain. I usually give the garlic 2 weeks of curing. After it has cured a day or 2 I take a pair of bypass pruners and cut off the roots. After 2 weeks I use the bypass pruners to cut the tops off and place the bulbs in some strawberry baskets for storage. It's best to provide good airflow while in storage, do not place in enclosed bags or containers as it will mold. I store it in the strawberry baskets in my basement on shelves. I don't like to set the baskets on the concrete floor for fear of moisture causing the bulbs to sprout. As far as the seed pods, you'll want to cut those off (are you sure it's seed pods or is it bulblets?) Mine rarely form them but you should cut them off as they will steal energy from the plant and you'll end up with smaller bulbs. It could be that the variety that I am growing doesn't produce as many bulblets, or it could be climate related, I don't know. In any case you don't need them for propagation as that is done by breaking up the bulbs into individual cloves and you replant some of the cloves. You'll want to save the biggest and best bulbs for replanting. To insure good size bulbs be sure to keep the garlic well watered, especially as it is "bulbing up". I like to check now and again in July (could be earlier for you, say May or June???) by digging with my fingers next to a few plants to see if the bulbs are forming and to see how big they might be. I replant in late October in Wisconsin, early enough that the cloves will start to send out roots but not early enough that they start top growth. For a general guide for your area plant them about the time of year that you would plant tulip bulbs.
Here's some photos of last years harvest, notice how the tops are just starting to yellow a bit at the tips.
Here's a photo from 2001, this was just before I cut the tops off, notice how they are dried and brown. Also two of the strawberry baskets that I store the bulbs in.