When to plant garlic in Chicago
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Chicago's frost dates of Apr 10.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Oct 3 – Oct 24
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
Chicago's 206-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Chicago'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 10
OCT 31
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Chicago?
Direct-sow around early October (Oct 3–Oct 24) in Chicago, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 84%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Chicago?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 31–May 31) in Chicago, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 76%.
How long is the growing season in Chicago?
Chicago has roughly 206 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 Chicago's frost dates.
Confidence 84/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.