When to plant garlic in Modesto
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Modesto's frost dates of Jan 27.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Nov 5 – Nov 26
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Jul 3 – Jul 3
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Modesto's 310-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Modesto'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
JAN 27
DEC 3
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Modesto?
Direct-sow around early November (Nov 5–Nov 26) in Modesto, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 87%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Modesto?
Expect to harvest from around early July (Jul 3–Jul 3) in Modesto, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 78%.
How long is the growing season in Modesto?
Modesto has roughly 310 frost-free days, which is enough 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 Modesto's frost dates.
Confidence 87/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.