When to plant garlic in Caen: 5 November – end of December

In Caen, garlic: plant from 5 November to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Le verger de Venoix (farm shop, 3 km) and Les Jardins d'Arlette (farm shop, 5 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 Caen: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Caen from 5 November to the end of December; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. No month averages below 0 °C at night; the coldest nights, in January, average 3.2 °C.

Planting	5 November – end of December
First autumn frost	5 December
Coldest nights	January, 3.2 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: July
Daylight	9:40 on 5 November
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:12

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

Garlic in Caen: care after planting

Planted on 5 November: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

5 November — feed: nitrogen
3 December — 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 Caen, Rouen is 14 days earlier and Le Havre 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Le Havre	48 km	12 November – end of December	7 days later
Rouen	109 km	22 October – end of December	14 days earlier
Le Mans	139 km	25 October – end of December	11 days earlier
Rennes	154 km	29 October – end of December	7 days earlier
Brighton	183 km	1 November – end of December	4 days earlier
Portsmouth	188 km	1 November – end of December	4 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Caen

Planting stock goes into the ground from 5 November to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Caen OpenStreetMap lists 14 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 7 plant nurseries, 20 markets and 22 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Verger d'Arquenay — farm shop
Wed 14:00–18:00 · 9 km
Gaec Reconnu Lechevalier Freres — farm shop · sells: eggplant, strawberry, apple, rhunarb, salad, onion, tomato, shallot
Rue de Luc 33 · 13 km
Le verger de Venoix — farm shop
Tue–Fri 08:30–13:00, Sat 09:00–19:00, Tue–Fri 15:00–19:30 · 3 km
Les Jardins d'Arlette — farm shop
Mon–Fri 08:30–12:30, 13:30–18:00; Sat 08:30–13:00 · 5 km

Questions