When should I plant garlic in Zone 4b?

In Zone 4b (first frost ~09/30), plant garlic cloves around October 4 – October 18 — for harvest the following summer.

When to plant garlic in Zone 4b

In Zone 4b, plant cloves around October 4 – October 18 — about 1–2 weeks after the first fall frost — for harvest the following summer.

Your garlic timeline — Zone 4b

Plant cloves (fall)	October 4 – October 18
Zone 4b last frost	~05/10
Zone 4b first frost	~09/30

Plant cloves in fall, usually within one to two weeks after the first killing frost, for harvest the following summer. Spring planting gives poor, small bulbs. ^[src]Cited: University of Illinois Extension — Herb Gardening: Garlic

Dates computed from Zone 4b's median NOAA frost normals and the cited rule. Your town may differ by a week or two — check your exact ZIP.

What you'll need

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Last verified 2026-08-28. Frost: NOAA NCEI 1991–2020. Zone: USDA 2023. Rule: University of Illinois Extension — Herb Gardening: Garlic.

Garlic in other zones

Zone 10aGarlic dates Zone 10bGarlic dates Zone 2aGarlic dates Zone 2bGarlic dates Zone 3bGarlic dates Zone 4aGarlic dates Zone 5aGarlic dates Zone 5bGarlic dates

← Everything to plant in Zone 4b