Garlic planting in zones 3 to 5: wait for the frost, then plant

Look up your first fall frost

Type your zip code into the frost date lookup and write down the typical first fall frost and the 1 in 10 earlier date. For zip code 55108 in St. Paul, the station about half a mile away gives October 8 and September 25.

Have ready: Your zip code. Do it in September, before the seed garlic arrives.

Frost date lookup by zip code

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026.

Add one to two weeks

Count 7 and 14 days from the typical date. For St. Paul that's October 15 to 22. Minnesota and Wisconsin say a week or two after the first killing frost but give no temperature for one, so we use the typical 32°F date as the marker.

Have ready: The frost date from step 1 and a calendar.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing garlic in home gardens, checked October 8, 2026; University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026; NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026.

Measure the bed and count the cloves

Measure inside the boards and type the size into the garlic calculator at 6 inches, the spacing Wisconsin gives. A 4 x 8 ft bed takes 8 rows of 16: 128 cloves.

Have ready: A tape measure.

Garlic and bulb planting calculator

Source: University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026.

Order heads or pounds

At Kentucky's six to eight cloves a head, 128 cloves is 16 to 22 heads. At Maryland's 6 to 7 large hardneck heads a pound with 6 to 7 cloves each, that's about 2.6 to 3.6 pounds. Wisconsin says hardneck types do best where winters are long.

Have ready: The clove count. If the seller lists cloves per head for the variety, use that number.

Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; University of Maryland Extension, Garlic, checked October 8, 2026; University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026.

Get the straw before the frost

For 3 to 4 inches over a 4 x 8 ft bed you need 8 to 10.7 cubic feet. Wisconsin asks for clean straw. Maine lists dried grass, leaves or straw.

Have ready: The bed size. Stack the bales or bags next to the bed.

Mulch calculator

Source: University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026; University of Maine Extension, Bulletin #2063 Growing Hardneck Garlic in Your Maine Garden, checked October 9, 2026.

Split the heads on planting day

Wisconsin and Maine both say to separate the cloves just before planting. Plant the largest cloves, since Wisconsin says they generally grow the largest bulbs. Keep the small ones for the kitchen.

Have ready: A bowl for the planting cloves and another for the small ones.

Source: University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026; University of Maine Extension, Bulletin #2063 Growing Hardneck Garlic in Your Maine Garden, checked October 9, 2026.

Plant 2 to 3 inches deep, 6 inches apart

Set each clove pointed side up with its base 2 to 3 inches below the surface, as Minnesota says. Wisconsin warns that cloves planted too shallow can be injured in winter and early spring. Start 3 inches in from the boards so the outer rows fit.

Have ready: A stick marked at 3 and 6 inches.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing garlic in home gardens, checked October 8, 2026; University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026.

Mulch the same week

Spread 3 to 4 inches of straw or shredded leaves over the whole bed. Minnesota says this evens out winter and early spring soil temperatures and helps with weeds.

Have ready: The straw from step 5.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing garlic in home gardens, checked October 8, 2026.

Decide on the mulch in spring, then log the harvest

Minnesota and Wisconsin take the mulch off once the risk of hard freezes is over; Minnesota also lets you leave it on. The typical last frost at St. Paul, April 28, is a late marker for that. In summer Wisconsin harvests when about half the leaves have turned brown. Write both dates in the log.

Have ready: The printed bed plan, kept with the seed box.

Source: University of Minnesota Extension, Growing garlic in home gardens, checked October 8, 2026; University of Wisconsin Extension, Garlic (A3785), checked October 9, 2026; NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026.