🧰 Problem solverZones4 min read

When to plant garlic in zones 8 to 10: fall, ahead of the first frost

Quick answer

In zones 8 to 10, garlic goes in during fall, usually before the first frost. Georgia Extension says late September through November. Arizona's Yavapai County office says September or October, and San Diego County's master gardeners say October to November. UF/IFAS gives late fall through early winter for Florida. The cold the cloves need comes after planting, from the winter itself. Near Atlanta the typical first frost is November 8, so an October planting has a few weeks to root first.

Updated October 9, 2026 Sources checked October 9, 2026 Printable checklist

The reason

Plant first, then let winter do the chilling

Texas A&M AgriLife's garlic sheet says a clove needs temperatures below 40°F for 6 to 8 weeks before it will bulb. After that, bulbs start once days run longer than 13 hours and the soil tops 60°F. Georgia Extension gives the same 6 to 8 weeks and counts them after planting. Arizona's Yavapai County office says 4 to 6 weeks below 40°F after planting.

Source: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, checked October 9, 2026; UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; University of Arizona Extension, Backyard Gardener #160: Garlic, checked October 9, 2026.

So in warm zones the cloves go in ahead of the cold weeks, not after the first frost as in zones 3 to 5. Georgia's page says an October planting should be well rooted, with tops above the soil, by November. It also says spring planting leaves too short a season for good yields.

Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026.

Each page's planting months against the first fall frost at the NOAA station nearest a town in its area, 1991 to 2020 normals. Florida and Texas give no months, so those rows show the frost dates only. Zones from the 2023 USDA zip-code listing.

Place (zone)	Nearest NOAA station	Typical first frost	Planting months as published
Atlanta, GA (8a)	Atlanta Fulton County Airport	November 8	Late September through November (Georgia)
Tifton, GA (9a)	Tifton	November 19	Late September through November (Georgia)
Sedona, AZ (8b)	Sedona	November 17	September or October (Yavapai County)
El Cajon, CA (10a)	El Cajon	December 21	October to November (San Diego County)
Gainesville, FL (9a)	Gainesville Regional Airport	December 2	Late fall through early winter (UF/IFAS)

Frost dates are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals (32°F) for the station nearest each zip code.

Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; University of Arizona Extension, Backyard Gardener #160: Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; San Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026; NOAA 1991-2020 annual/seasonal normals documentation, checked October 7, 2026; PRISM 2023 USDA hardiness zone GIS datasets and zip-code listing, checked October 6, 2026.

6 to 8 wkbelow 40°F before cloves will bulb (Texas, Georgia)Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, October 9, 2026
Late Sep to NovGeorgia's planting windowUGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), October 9, 2026
Oct to NovSan Diego County, coastal and inlandSan Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, October 9, 2026
13 hoursday length that starts bulbing after the coldTexas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, October 9, 2026

Your yard

Pick your planting week

Look up your first fall frost
Type your zip code into the frost date lookup and write down the typical first fall frost. At the warm-zone stations above it falls in November or December.
Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026.
Read your state's months
Use your extension service's window: late September through November in Georgia, September or October in Yavapai County, Arizona, and October to November in San Diego County.
Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; University of Arizona Extension, Backyard Gardener #160: Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; San Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026.
Plant early in the window
Give the roots time before the cold weeks. Georgia wants an October planting well rooted by November.
Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026.
Choose softneck seed garlic
Georgia Extension says softneck garlic is well adapted to the South. UF/IFAS names Artichoke and Creole for Florida.
Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026.
Count the cloves and set the depth
Use the garlic calculator for the count. Georgia plants cloves 1 to 3 inches deep and 6 inches apart; near the San Diego coast they go under about 1/2 inch of soil.
Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; San Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026.

Other warm states

Florida, Texas and the frost-free coast

UF/IFAS gives late fall through early winter for Florida and names no month. Texas A&M AgriLife's crop sheet gives no month either. It times planting by soil temperature: below 85°F at 2 inches deep.

Source: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, checked October 9, 2026.

In the warmest spots a frost date can be missing altogether. The San Diego Lindbergh Field station, zone 11a, has no typical frost date. None of these pages says whether a winter like that gives 6 to 8 weeks below 40°F Our pre-chilling guide looks at that question.

Source: NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026; PRISM 2023 USDA hardiness zone GIS datasets and zip-code listing, checked October 6, 2026; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, checked October 9, 2026.

Pine straw tucked between rows of young garlic shoots, kept a little away from the stems — Georgia Extension adds mulch once the shoots are up, kept a little away from the stems.

Print it, tick it off

My warm-zone garlic planting week

Fill this in from your state's months and the frost lookup in September.

My extension service's planting months
My station and its typical first fall frost
Planting week, early in the window
Softneck seed garlic bought
Clove count and heads from the calculator
Bed cleared and loosened
Date planted and date the shoots came up

Open the printable warm-zone garlic planting week checklist

What people learn the second year

Tips and tricks

Order seed garlic in late summer. Then it's on hand the week your window opens, instead of arriving halfway through.
Aim for the first half of the window. Georgia wants October plantings rooted by November. Planting early gives the roots that head start before the cold.
Get the bed ready ahead. Clear and loosen it the week before, so planting day is one short job.
Write down when the shoots show. Next fall you'll know whether you planted early or late for your own yard.
Go by your county if it differs. A state window covers a lot of ground. If your county extension office gives its own months, use those.

Common questions

Questions

When should I plant garlic in zone 8?

Georgia Extension says late September through November, and Arizona's Yavapai County office says September or October. Near Atlanta, zone 8a, the typical first frost is November 8, so an October planting comes well before it.

Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; University of Arizona Extension, Backyard Gardener #160: Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals, annual/seasonal, checked October 7, 2026; PRISM 2023 USDA hardiness zone GIS datasets and zip-code listing, checked October 6, 2026.

When should I plant garlic in zone 9?

Georgia's late September through November window covers zone 9a towns like Tifton. UF/IFAS says late fall through early winter for Florida, and San Diego County's master gardeners say October to November.

Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; San Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; PRISM 2023 USDA hardiness zone GIS datasets and zip-code listing, checked October 6, 2026.

Can you grow garlic in zone 10?

San Diego County's master gardeners list October to November planting for both coastal and inland areas; inland El Cajon is zone 10a. Texas A&M AgriLife says cloves need 6 to 8 weeks below 40°F to bulb, so in the mildest spots the cold can run short. The pre-chilling guide covers that.

Source: San Diego County Master Gardeners, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Garlic crop sheet, checked October 9, 2026; PRISM 2023 USDA hardiness zone GIS datasets and zip-code listing, checked October 6, 2026.

Should I plant garlic before or after the first frost in the South?

Mostly before. At the stations we checked, the published windows open weeks ahead of the typical first frost and close no more than about three weeks after it.

Which garlic grows best in warm zones?

Georgia Extension says softneck garlic is well adapted to the South, and UF/IFAS names Artichoke and Creole for Florida. Georgia says hardneck types may grow there but generally prefer cold winters.

Source: UGA Extension, Garlic Production for the Gardener (C 854), checked October 9, 2026; UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, Garlic, checked October 9, 2026.

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More guides

Sources

Garlic Production for the Gardener (Circular 854), University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, published August 17, 2021. Checked October 9, 2026.
Backyard Gardener #160: Garlic, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County. Checked October 9, 2026.
Garlic, Master Gardener Association of San Diego County (supports the UC Master Gardener Program of San Diego County). Checked October 9, 2026.
Garlic, University of Florida IFAS Extension, Gardening Solutions. Checked October 9, 2026.
U.S. Climate Normals (1991-2020), annual/seasonal normals by station, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Checked October 7, 2026.
Garlic, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Department of Horticulture. Checked October 9, 2026.
1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals documentation: Annual/Seasonal Normals, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). Checked October 7, 2026.
2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS Datasets, PRISM Group, Oregon State University (for USDA). Checked October 6, 2026.

Planning guide, not a guarantee. See every source on the site on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Plant first, then let winter do the chilling

Pick your planting week

Look up your first fall frost

Read your state's months

Plant early in the window

Choose softneck seed garlic

Count the cloves and set the depth