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When to plant garlic in Des Moines: 27 September – 29 November

In Des Moines, garlic: plant from 27 September to about 29 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Iowa Outdoor Products (garden centre, 11 km) and TNT Landscaping (garden centre, 14 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 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 Des Moines: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Des Moines from 27 September to about 29 November; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -9.4 °C.

Planting27 September – 29 November
First autumn frost27 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -9.4 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring11 March
Harvest (card)about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight11:58 on 27 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:09

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

Garlic in Des Moines: care after planting

Planted on 27 September: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

  • 27 September — feed: nitrogen
  • 25 October — 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 Des Moines, Sioux Falls is 6 days earlier and Kansas City 5 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cedar Rapids165 km25 September – 25 November2 days earlier
Omaha198 km26 September – 30 November1 day earlier
Davenport250 km30 September – 30 November3 days later
Lincoln271 km28 September – 7 December1 day later
Kansas City290 km2 October – end of December5 days later
Sioux Falls334 km21 September – 16 November6 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Des Moines

Planting stock goes into the ground from 27 September to about 29 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Des Moines OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant garlic in Des Moines?

In Des Moines, garlic: plant from 27 September to about 29 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.

When is the last spring frost in Des Moines?

Last spring frost around 19 April, first autumn frost around 27 October.

Other crops in Des Moines, with their dates