When to plant garlic in Edinburgh
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Edinburgh's frost dates of May 1.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 20 – Oct 11
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 17 – May 17
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Edinburgh's 170-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Edinburgh'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 1
OCT 18
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Edinburgh?
Direct-sow around mid September (Sep 20–Oct 11) in Edinburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 82%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Edinburgh?
Expect to harvest from around mid May (May 17–May 17) in Edinburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 74%.
How long is the growing season in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh has roughly 170 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 Edinburgh's frost dates.
Confidence 82/100 · NOAA GHCN-Daily · 1991–2020 normals · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.