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When to plant garlic in Fort Collins: 21 September – 5 December

In Fort Collins, garlic: plant from 21 September to about 5 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Horsetooth Stem and Roots (garden centre, 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 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 Fort Collins: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Fort Collins from 21 September to about 5 December; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, January, averages -8.2 °C.

Planting21 September – 5 December
First autumn frost21 October
Coldest nightsJanuary, -8.2 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring14 March
Harvest (card)about 8 months after planting: May
Daylight12:14 on 21 September
Daylight at the winter solstice9:16

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

Garlic in Fort Collins: care after planting

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

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

  • 21 September — feed: nitrogen
  • 19 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 Fort Collins, Rapid City is 9 days earlier and Pueblo 7 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Cheyenne69 km13 September – 4 December8 days earlier
Denver90 km15 September – 14 December6 days earlier
Colorado Springs192 km15 September – 16 December6 days earlier
Pueblo258 km28 September – end of December7 days later
Grand Junction340 km27 September – 7 December6 days later
Rapid City420 km12 September – 28 November9 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Fort Collins

Planting stock goes into the ground from 21 September to about 5 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Fort Collins OpenStreetMap lists 10 garden centres, 4 farm-supply shops, 2 plant nurseries, 3 markets and 6 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant garlic in Fort Collins?

In Fort Collins, garlic: plant from 21 September to about 5 December. 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 Fort Collins?

Last spring frost around 25 April, first autumn frost around 21 October.

Other crops in Fort Collins, with their dates