When to plant garlic in Milwaukee
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Milwaukee's frost dates of Apr 23.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 25 – Oct 16
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 23 – May 23
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Milwaukee's 182-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Milwaukee'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 23
OCT 23
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Milwaukee?
Direct-sow around late September (Sep 25–Oct 16) in Milwaukee, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 89%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Milwaukee?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 23–May 23) in Milwaukee, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 80%.
How long is the growing season in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee has roughly 182 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 Milwaukee's frost dates.
Confidence 89/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.