Planting Date

• Garlic is usually planted in the Fall before the ground freezes but can be Spring planted. Best bulb size is generally from Fall planted garlic.
• In colder climates we recommend planting several weeks before your ground freezes solid. 2-4 weeks before the ground freezes solid is a good guideline to go off. Where the ground does not freeze solid, plant 2-4 weeks before the coldest time of year. The optimal planting time is that which allows for the garlic clove to get established with some root growth, but not so early as to allow too much sprouting before the ground freezes.
• Here at our farm we are in zone 5 and often get very cold temperatures in early November. We plant in mid to late October, but have planted as late as early November with great results!
• Don't worry if you are planting a bit late, we know of growers who have grown beautiful garlic having used a metal pipe to punch a hole in frozen soil and dropped their seed through the pipe into the ground!
• The conditions most likely to "winter-kill" garlic are very wet saturated soils with poor drainage.