When to Plant Garlic

Timing is everything- planting your garlic at the proper time will help ensure a healthy harvest. You’ll need to consider your climate and seasonal conditions specific to your area. 

First, it’s helpful to know your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. To find out your zone, the USDA offers an interactive map which will tell you your zone based on your zip code. Here is the link: USDA PLANT HARDINESS ZONE MAP. 

General Guidelines for Garlic Planting:

The zones and planting times listed above can be used as a general guideline for when to plan your garlic. Now, let’s get more specific to ensure your crop’s success…

Ideally, you’ll plant your garlic four to six weeks before the first hard frost. The goal is for the garlic to have enough time to develop healthy roots before the temperatures drop, but not enough time for the garlic to form top growth. A strong, developed root system will provide the garlic with nutrients and water, resulting in bigger bulbs at harvest. Planting too late will not give the garlic enough time to develop roots, resulting in scraggly bulbs. However, planting too early will cause the garlic to sprout, making it susceptible to frostbite during the winter. You have to find the sweet spot- not too early, not too late, but just right!

Our best advice- have everything ready to go and monitor your weather forecast. Look for signs of weather pattern changes and project a potential freeze date based on your zone. Having everything ready to go includes soil prepped, seed garlic, garden tools and mulch on hand. 

With all that said, garlic is resilient. Even with imperfect timing, garlic will find a way to thrive!