When to plant garlic in Pittsburgh
Garlic is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Pittsburgh's frost dates of Apr 17.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Sep 27 – Oct 18
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
May 25 – May 25
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
240 d
Pittsburgh's 188-day season leaves this much room.
Garlic on Pittsburgh'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 25
Common questions
When can I sow garlic outdoors in Pittsburgh?
Direct-sow around late September (Sep 27–Oct 18) in Pittsburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 81%.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Pittsburgh?
Expect to harvest from around late May (May 25–May 25) in Pittsburgh, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 73%.
How long is the growing season in Pittsburgh?
Pittsburgh has roughly 188 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 Pittsburgh's frost dates.
Confidence 81/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.