When to plant garlic in Bristol
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Bristol's frost dates of Apr 18.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Oct 4 – Oct 25
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 31 – May 31
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Bristol's 197-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Bristol'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
APR 18
NOV 1
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Bristol?
Direct-sow around early October (Oct 4–Oct 25) in Bristol, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 82%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Bristol?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 31–May 31) in Bristol, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 74%.
How long is the growing season in Bristol?
Bristol has roughly 197 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 Bristol's frost dates.
Confidence 82/100 · NOAA GHCN-Daily · 1991–2020 normals · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.