When to Plant Garlic in Zone 5

Garlic timing in zone 5

Most of zone 5 sees its first fall frost between September 28 and October 7, with a typical date of October 2. If your first frost comes earlier, plant toward the start of the window; if it comes later, plant toward the end. The tool above uses the weather station closest to your ZIP code.

Why garlic is planted in fall

Garlic needs a period of cold to form full bulbs. Planted in fall, cloves grow roots before winter and stay dormant until spring. Then they start growing early and have a long season to bulk up before harvest. Garlic planted in spring often forms small bulbs or single rounds without cloves.

Best garlic varieties for zone 5

In zone 5, hardneck garlic is the safest choice. It is the type best suited to long, cold winters, it has big cloves and a rich flavor, and it gives you edible scapes in early summer. It stores for about 3–4 months.

• Hardneck varieties to try: German Extra Hardy, Music, Chesnok Red, Russian Red or Montana Zemo.
• Softneck garlic stores longer, 6–8 months, but most softnecks are bred for milder winters. If you grow one, choose a variety sold as cold-hardy.

Buy seed garlic from a garden supplier rather than the grocery store. Grocery garlic is often grown for milder climates and may not form good bulbs after a zone 5 winter.

How to plant garlic

1. Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Work in compost before planting.
2. Break the bulbs into cloves a day or two before planting. Keep the papery skins on, and plant the largest cloves: they grow the largest bulbs.
3. Plant pointed end up, 2–3 inches deep and 6 inches apart, in rows 12–18 inches apart or in double rows on raised beds.
4. Water if the soil is dry.
5. Mulch with weed-free straw or shredded leaves. It evens out winter temperature swings and keeps weeds down.

Zone 5 garlic tips

• Plant on time, not early. Cloves should grow roots before the ground freezes, but leaves that sprout above the soil before winter are prone to winter injury.
• Mulch well. About 3 inches of straw evens out freeze and thaw cycles, which can heave cloves out of the soil in cold-winter areas.
• Feed in spring, not summer. Garlic needs nitrogen as shoots emerge and a few weeks later. Stop by early May, because late feeding delays bulbing.
• Time the harvest by the leaves. Dig when the lower leaves have browned but about half the leaves are still green. Too early gives small bulbs; too late and the cloves split from their skins.

Harvesting and curing garlic

Loosen the soil with a garden fork and lift the bulbs with their leaves and roots attached. Brush off loose soil, but don’t wash them. Hang the plants in bunches or lay them on screens in a dry, shaded, airy place until the skins are papery. Then trim the roots and cut the stems about an inch above the bulb. Save your largest bulbs to plant next fall.

Garlic planting dates in nearby zones

• Zone 4September 18 – October 9
• Zone 6October 6 – October 27

See dates for every zone on the garlic planting guide, or build a full schedule with the planting calendar.