When to plant garlic in Charleston
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Charleston's frost dates of Apr 16.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 23 – Oct 14
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 21 – May 21
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Charleston's 186-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Charleston'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 16
OCT 21
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Charleston?
Direct-sow around late September (Sep 23–Oct 14) in Charleston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 88%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Charleston?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 21–May 21) in Charleston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 79%.
How long is the growing season in Charleston?
Charleston has roughly 186 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 Charleston's frost dates.
Confidence 88/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.