When to plant garlic in Montreal
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Montreal's frost dates of May 11.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 2 – Sep 23
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Apr 29 – Apr 29
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Montreal's 142-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Montreal's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
FROST
MAY 11
SEP 30
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Montreal?
Direct-sow around early September (Sep 2–Sep 23) in Montreal, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Montreal?
Expect to harvest from around late April (Apr 29–Apr 29) in Montreal, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 77%.
How long is the growing season in Montreal?
Montreal has roughly 142 frost-free days, which is marginal time to grow garlic to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow garlic as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Montreal's frost dates.
Confidence 86/100 · NOAA GHCN-Daily · 1991–2020 normals · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.