Rainline Garden

When to plant garlic in Seattle and Tacoma, WA

Plant garlic in Seattle and Tacoma from Oct 1 – Nov 15. 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 Seattle and Tacoma the first fall frost usually comes around November 23.

West-side valleys. The Willamette Valley, Puget Sound and southern Oregon valleys. Long frost-free seasons, but soil stays cold and wet into May, so warm crops wait for warm soil, not just the last frost.

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 Oct 1 – Nov 15, 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 Seattle and Tacoma, WA?

Typically March 2. In 9 years out of 10, frost is over by March 23. These are 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

When is garlic ready to harvest in Seattle and Tacoma?

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 Seattle and Tacoma around the same time

Planting dates for garlic in nearby areas

Full planting calendar for Seattle and Tacoma · Garlic in every city