When to plant garlic in Albany: 7 October – 30 November

In Albany, garlic: plant from 7 October to about 30 November.

Garlic is best planted early in the window: cloves planted late make smaller bulbs. Late planting works only while the soil is not frozen. Mulch after planting.

The date is about two weeks before the average daily temperature here falls below 0 °C (ten years of weather): an estimate, not the day the ground freezes, and a cold spell can freeze it earlier. Sources: UVM Extension, UNH Extension, RHS, how the ground freezes (NRC Canada, CBD-26).

Garlic in Albany: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Albany from 7 October to about 30 November; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -6.7 °C.

Planting	7 October – 30 November
First autumn frost	6 November
Coldest nights	January, -6.7 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	17 March
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight	11:29 on 7 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	9:03

The same dates in Albany hold for Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus and Hyacinth.

Garlic in Albany: care after planting

Planted on 7 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

Feeding, by the card’s schedule from that day:

7 October — feed: nitrogen
4 November — feed: nitrogen

Pests and diseases of garlic to watch for:

Dates count from the first planting day of the window above; a later planting moves them by as many days.

Garlic in nearby cities

Around Albany, Concord is 6 days earlier and New Haven 6 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Hartford	133 km	9 October – 19 December	2 days later
New Haven	164 km	13 October – end of December	6 days later
Worcester (United States)	166 km	9 October – 11 December	2 days later
Concord	191 km	1 October – 25 November	6 days earlier
Manchester (United States)	191 km	3 October – 27 November	4 days earlier
Syracuse (United States)	199 km	7 October – 28 November	same day

Where to buy garlic for planting in Albany

Planting stock goes into the ground from 7 October to about 30 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Albany OpenStreetMap lists 11 garden centres, 7 markets and 3 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Washington Park Farmers Market — market
Jul–Sept Sat 10:00–14:00 · 1 km · washingtonparkfarmersmarket.com
Troy Waterfront Farmers Market (Summer) — market
May–Oct Sat 09:00–14:00 · 11 km · troymarket.org
Troy Waterfront Farmers Market (Winter) — market
Nov–Apr Sat 09:00–14:00 · 11 km · troymarket.org
Cook Park Farmers Market — market
Shambrook Parkway 1, 12205 Colonie · 9 km

Questions