When to plant garlic in Washington
Washington spans USDA hardiness zones 4a-9a. Average last spring frost: 04-15 (W) to 05-25 (E). This calendar gives you the indoor start, transplant, and direct-sow dates for Allium sativum.
Washington planting dates for garlic
Dates for Washington vary significantly by region. Use the average frost date lookup for your specific ZIP code, then apply the standard offsets: direct sow 24 weeks after last frost.
Why these dates
Garlic is fall-planted. Plant cloves 4-6 weeks before the ground freezes (October-November in most zones). Harvest the following July when the bottom 3-4 leaves brown.
The dates above are anchored to Washington's average last spring frost date of 04-15 (W) to 05-25 (E), with offsets standard across university Extension publications. For zone-specific local timing, use the frost date lookup tool with your ZIP code.
More on growing garlic
The full growing guide for garlic - varieties, soil, fertilization, pests, harvest, storage - is here: Garlic growing guide.
More Washington planting information
- Full Washington planting calendar (all crops + ornamentals)
- Find your exact USDA zone by ZIP
- Look up your average frost dates
- Seed starting timeline calculator