🧄 When to Plant Garlic

When should I plant garlic?

Plant garlic outdoors 20 weeks before last frost.

Is garlic frost sensitive?

Garlic can tolerate light frost, surviving temperatures as low as 20°F. This makes it a great candidate for early spring or fall planting when other crops can't go out yet.

What temperature does garlic need?

Garlic grows best between 35°F and 70°F. It can survive down to 20°F, but growth slows significantly below 35°F. It prefers cool weather and may bolt or stop producing if summer heat arrives early.

How long does garlic take to grow?

Garlic typically takes 240–270 days from transplant (or direct sow) to first harvest. This is a long-season crop — start seeds early enough to ensure harvest before your area's first fall frost.

Is it too cold to plant garlic?

It is too cold to plant Garlic outdoors when nighttime temperatures are falling below 20°F. While Garlic can tolerate temperatures as low as 20°F, growth will be slow until nights consistently exceed 35°F. Use CanIPlant to check your local 7-day forecast and get a real-time answer for your ZIP code.

Is it too hot to plant garlic?

Garlic starts to struggle when temperatures climb above 70°F. As a cool-season crop, Garlic is especially heat-sensitive — high temperatures cause bolting, bitter flavor, or complete crop failure. Avoid planting in the peak of summer and opt for spring or fall instead. CanIPlant checks your local forecast highs to flag this automatically.

Any tips for growing garlic?

Plant in fall, harvest next summer.