🧄When to Plant Garlic (2026)
Planted in fall, harvested next summer. The set-it-and-forget-it crop.
- Type: Cool-season
- Method: Direct sow
- Days to harvest: 240
- Spacing: 6" apart
- Sun: Full sun
- Companions: tomato, carrot, beets
Is Garlic right for your USDA zone?
Garlic is a cool-season crop, which means it thrives in the mild temperatures of spring and fall. Gardeners in zones 3a through 7b get the longest garlic season — you can plant in early spring and again in late summer for a fall harvest. In warmer zones (8a-10b), grow garlic as a winter crop from October through February when temperatures are coolest.
Garlic needs about 240 days from sowing to harvest, so any zone with at least 254frost-free days can grow it successfully. Check your zone's specific dates in the table below.
Garlic planting dates by zone (2026)
| Zone | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Harvest From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | — | Oct 30 | Jun 27 |
| Zone 3b | — | Oct 30 | Jun 27 |
| Zone 4a | — | Oct 25 | Jun 22 |
| Zone 4b | — | Oct 20 | Jun 17 |
| Zone 5a | — | Oct 15 | Jun 12 |
| Zone 5b | — | Oct 10 | Jun 7 |
| Zone 6a | — | Oct 5 | Jun 2 |
| Zone 6b | — | Sep 30 | May 28 |
| Zone 7a | — | Sep 25 | May 23 |
| Zone 7b | — | Sep 20 | May 18 |
| Zone 8a | — | Sep 9 | May 7 |
| Zone 8b | — | Aug 30 | Apr 27 |
| Zone 9a | — | Aug 12 | Apr 9 |
| Zone 9b | — | Jul 28 | Mar 25 |
| Zone 10a | — | Jul 18 | Mar 15 |
| Zone 10b | — | Jul 2 | Feb 27 |