Plant Garlic in Zone 8b

Seed-starting, transplant & harvest dates for USDA Zone 8b

Harvest (~240d)

N/A

Plant cloves in fall, from about the first frost through the following month, so they root before the ground freezes.

Zone 8b averages 245 frost-free days, running from a last spring frost around March 15 to a first fall frost around November 15. Garlic needs roughly 240 days from planting out to first harvest, so it uses about 98 percent of that window. Garlic is a hardy crop, which is what decides where in the window it belongs.

Garlic resents transplanting and hates cold soil, so direct sow around N/A, after the Zone 8b last frost has passed and the soil has warmed.

Planting garlic for a fall harvest in Zone 8b

Yes. Plant garlic between November 15 and December 13 in Zone 8b, from around the average first frost through the following 4 weeks, so it roots before the ground freezes.

Garlic is the definitive fall crop. Plant cloves from around your first frost through the next four weeks: late enough that they root without pushing much top growth, early enough to establish before the ground freezes hard.

Plant from

Nov 15

Plant by

Dec 13

Overwinters, harvest in spring

Spring

Fall dates are counted backward from the Zone 8b average first frost, not forward from a sowing date. See the fall planting calendar by zone for the full method.

Spring vs fall garlic in Zone 8b

Planting	Sow or start	In the ground	Harvest
Spring	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fall	by Dec 13	Dec 13	Next spring

Last spring frost

Mar 15

First fall frost

Nov 15

Growing season

245 days

Garlic in nearby zones

Garlic in Zone 8a (colder) Garlic in Zone 9a (warmer) Full Garlic grow guide Zone 8b planting calendar

Other crops in Zone 8b

Tomatoes in Zone 8b Peppers in Zone 8b Cucumbers in Zone 8b Lettuce in Zone 8b Zucchini in Zone 8b Carrots in Zone 8b Beans (bush) in Zone 8b Peas in Zone 8b Broccoli in Zone 8b Spinach in Zone 8b Kale in Zone 8b Onions in Zone 8b Potatoes in Zone 8b Squash (winter) in Zone 8b Corn in Zone 8b Radishes in Zone 8b Beets in Zone 8b Eggplant in Zone 8b Basil in Zone 8b Cilantro in Zone 8b Parsley in Zone 8b Pumpkins in Zone 8b Sunflowers in Zone 8b

Frequently asked questions

When should I start garlic in Zone 8b?

Expect to harvest around N/A (~240 days).

Can I direct sow garlic in Zone 8b?

Garlic is best started indoors and transplanted in Zone 8b rather than direct sown.

Can I plant garlic in the fall in Zone 8b?