When to plant garlic in Derry: 22 October – end of December

In Derry, garlic: plant from 22 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Culmore Farm Shop (farm shop, 7 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 Derry: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Derry from 22 October 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	22 October – end of December
First autumn frost	21 November
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: June
Daylight	10:04 on 22 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	7:10

Garlic in Derry: care after planting

Planted on 22 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

22 October — feed: nitrogen
19 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 Derry, Belfast is 2 days earlier and Letterkenny 7 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Letterkenny	26 km	29 October – end of December	7 days later
Belfast	100 km	20 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Sligo	110 km	22 October – end of December	same day
Dundalk	126 km	21 October – end of December	1 day earlier
Athlone	180 km	27 October – end of December	5 days later
Dublin	196 km	25 October – end of December	3 days later

Where to buy garlic for planting in Derry

Planting stock goes into the ground from 22 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Derry OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre and 1 farm shop (collected 28 October 2026).

Culmore Farm Shop — farm shop
Culmore Road, Culmore · 7 km
Altnagelvin Garden Centre — garden centre
2 km

Questions