When to plant garlic in Basel: 21 October – end of December

In Basel, garlic: plant from 21 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Marktstand Brüglingerhof (farm shop, 3 km) and Bioparadies (farm shop, 4 km); addresses and opening hours are below.

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 average daily temperature here stays above 0 °C all winter, and at least two months average 10 °C or less: the cold garlic needs, one to two months at 0–10 °C (RHS). The two-month threshold is our rule of thumb. Sources: UVM Extension, UNH Extension, RHS.

Garlic in Basel: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Basel from 21 October to the end of December; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in January; the coldest, January, averages -0.3 °C.

Planting	21 October – end of December
First autumn frost	20 November
Coldest nights	January, -0.3 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	22 January
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight	10:36 on 21 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:26

Garlic in Basel: care after planting

Planted on 21 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

21 October — feed: nitrogen
18 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant garlic earlier than Basel; the closest date is in Mulhouse, 3 days earlier.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Mulhouse	29 km	18 October – end of December	3 days earlier
Freiburg im Breisgau	52 km	17 October – end of December	4 days earlier
Colmar	60 km	18 October – end of December	3 days earlier
Bern	69 km	4 October – 21 December	17 days earlier
Zurich	74 km	17 October – end of December	4 days earlier
Lucerne	79 km	20 September – 29 November	31 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Basel

Planting stock goes into the ground from 21 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Basel OpenStreetMap lists 16 garden centres, 2 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 18 markets and 125 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Marktstand Brüglingerhof — farm shop · sells: Eier, Gemüse, Kräuter, Beeren, Honig.
Vorder Brüglingen 3, 4052 Basel · May–Oct Thu 10:00–12:30; Nov–Apr "Selbstbedienung nach Verfügbarkeit" · 3 km · meriangärten.ch
Bioparadies — farm shop · sells: Gemüse, Obst/Früchte, Beeren, Brot, Getreide, Milch/Milchprodukte, Eier, Fleisch, Fruchtsaft.
Herrenweg 72, 4123 Allschwil · Wed, Sat 09:00–14:00 · 4 km · bioparadies-allschwil.ch
Hof Klosterfiechten — farm shop · sells: Stallvisite, Schule auf dem Bauernhof: «Bim Buur in D‘Schuel», Kindergeburtstag auf dem Bauernhof Schopf mieten, Pensionspferde / Boxen, Reitstunden, Eier.
Klosterfiechtenweg 22, 4052 Basel · "nach Vereinbarung" · 4 km · hofklf.webs.com
Wiesner‘s Beeriland — farm shop · sells: Spargeln, Erdbeeren, Johannisbeeren, Brombeeren, Himbeeren.
Therwilerstrasse 3, 4103 Bottmingen · Mon–Fri 15:00–19:00; Sat 09:00–16:00 · 4 km · beeriland.ch

Questions