When to plant garlic in Des Moines
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Des Moines's frost dates of Apr 17.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 18 – Oct 9
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 16 – May 16
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Des Moines's 179-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Des Moines'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 17
OCT 16
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Des Moines?
Direct-sow around mid September (Sep 18–Oct 9) in Des Moines, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 89%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Des Moines?
Expect to harvest from around mid May (May 16–May 16) in Des Moines, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
How long is the growing season in Des Moines?
Des Moines has roughly 179 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 Des Moines's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.