When to plant garlic in Funchal: 1 October – end of December

In Funchal, garlic: plant from 1 October to the end of December. There is no autumn frost here, so the start is the calendar’s default autumn date, not one counted from a frost. For planting stock, the places nearby include Freshbio - Local Agricultural Producer (farm shop, 3 km) and Groverdi (farm shop, 9 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 Funchal: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Funchal from 1 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 February, average 5.8 °C.

Planting	1 October – end of December
Coldest nights	February, 5.8 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	already in the first week of January
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight	11:52 on 1 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	10:00

Garlic in Funchal: care after planting

Planted on 1 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

1 October — feed: nitrogen
29 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

6 of the nearest cities share Funchal's date.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Santa Cruz de La Palma	449 km	1 October – end of December	same day
Santa Cruz de Tenerife	469 km	1 October – end of December	same day
Arrecife	521 km	1 October – end of December	same day
Las Palmas	523 km	1 October – end of December	same day
Puerto del Rosario	545 km	1 October – end of December	same day
Agadir	735 km	1 October	same day

Where to buy garlic for planting in Funchal

Planting stock goes into the ground from 1 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Funchal OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 5 farm-supply shops, 5 plant nurseries, 9 markets and 4 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Freshbio - Local Agricultural Producer — farm shop
Rua de São Martinho 16, 9000-644 São Martinho · Mon–Fri 09:00–19:00 · 3 km · instagram.com
Groverdi — farm shop
Caminho Pico Norte, 9100-018 Santa Cruz · Tue–Fri 11:00–17:00; Sat 10:00–16:00 · 9 km · groverdi.com
Cooperativa Agrícola da Madeira — garden centre
3 km
Mercado da Penteada — market
2 km

Questions

When to plant garlic in Funchal?

In Funchal, garlic: plant from 1 October to the end of December. There is no autumn frost here, so the start is the calendar’s default autumn date, not one counted from a frost. 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.