Garlic · Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
When to plant garlic in Edmonton
Main outdoor window
15-29 Aug
The window this page is built around.
Timed from last spring frost
13 May
In Edmonton, on your chosen risk.
Ready to pick
12 Apr - 12 May
If you plant at the start of the window.
The average last frost. Half of all years are later than this.
Step by step in Edmonton
Each window is a range, not a single day. Earlier in the range buys you a longer season; later in it buys you a safer one.
Plant cloves
15-29 Aug
Four to six weeks before your first frost, so roots form before the ground cools.
Harvest
12 Apr - 12 May
Garlic through the year
Against the frost risk in Edmonton
Why these dates
Plant four to six weeks before your first autumn frost so roots establish before the ground cools. Hardneck types require a genuine cold period and will not bulb properly in mild-winter climates.
Survives -20C under mulch. Hardnecks need six to eight weeks below 10C to form cloves, making this a crop that actively requires winter.
Garlic are anchored to the first autumn frost rather than the last spring one, so the planting window on this page counts backwards from the end of the season in Edmonton instead of forwards from its start.
The median frost-free season here is 137 days, against 240 to 270 days to maturity for this crop counted from sowing. That margin is what decides whether a late sowing is worth attempting.
Also in Edmonton
Other vegetables to time
Growing garlic in Edmonton
When should I plant garlic in Edmonton?
Aim for 15-29 Aug in an average year. If you would rather not gamble on the weather, wait until 2-16 Aug - by then frost has finished in nine years out of ten.
When will garlic be ready to harvest in Edmonton?
Expect to start picking around 12 Apr - 12 May, based on 240 to 270 days to maturity from the planting date calculated for this location.
How much frost will garlic tolerate?
Survives -20C under mulch. Hardnecks need six to eight weeks below 10C to form cloves, making this a crop that actively requires winter.