Rainline Garden

When to plant garlic in Ellensburg, WA

Plant garlic in Ellensburg from Sep 25 – Oct 31. It grows slowly over winter and is ready to dig the next summer.

Easy Plant cloves

Why these dates

Garlic needs a cold winter to form bulbs, so it goes in during fall, after the soil cools but before it freezes hard. In Ellensburg the first fall frost usually comes around October 7.

Inland Northwest. Higher, colder interior valleys. Cold springs and an earlier fall mean a shorter season; quick-maturing varieties pay off.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
6 inches apart
Planting depth
2 inches deep, pointed end up
Frost
Very hardy; grows through winter

Step by step

  1. Buy seed garlic from a garden center or seed company. Grocery-store garlic is often a variety that doesn't suit Northwest winters.
  2. Loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  3. Break bulbs into cloves and plant them Sep 25 – Oct 31, 2 inches deep, pointed end up, 6 inches apart.
  4. Cover the bed with a few inches of straw or leaves for winter. Pull weeds in spring and stop watering in early summer when the leaves start to brown.
  5. Harvest: Dig in early summer when the lower third of the leaves are brown. Cure in a shady, airy spot for three weeks.

Varieties that do well here

  • Music (hardneck)
  • Inchelium Red (softneck, from Washington)
  • Chesnok Red

Watch out for

Rust (orange spots on leaves) in wet springs. It's mostly cosmetic; give plants space and pull weeds.

Planted in fall, harvested the next summer when the lower leaves brown.

Common questions

When is the last frost in Ellensburg, WA?

Typically April 28. In 9 years out of 10, frost is over by May 12. These are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for Ellensburg Bowers Field.

When is garlic ready to harvest in Ellensburg?

Usually in early summer, about eight months after fall planting. Dig in early summer when the lower third of the leaves are brown. Cure in a shady, airy spot for three weeks.

Also plant in Ellensburg around the same time

Planting dates for garlic in nearby areas

Full planting calendar for Ellensburg · Garlic in every city