When to plant garlic in Olympia: 16 October – end of December

In Olympia, garlic: plant from 16 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Underhill Plants (garden centre, 1 km) and Bark & Garden Center (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 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 Olympia: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Olympia from 16 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 1.5 °C.

Planting	16 October – end of December
First autumn frost	15 November
Coldest nights	February, 1.5 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	10 January
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight	10:54 on 16 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:30

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

Garlic in Olympia: care after planting

Planted on 16 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

16 October — feed: nitrogen
13 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 Olympia, Eugene is 17 days earlier and Victoria 36 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Seattle	77 km	25 October – end of December	9 days later
Victoria	159 km	21 November – end of December	36 days later
Portland	170 km	23 October – end of December	7 days later
Salem	234 km	18 October – end of December	2 days later
Vancouver	250 km	18 October – end of December	2 days later
Eugene	332 km	29 September – end of December	17 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Olympia

Planting stock goes into the ground from 16 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Olympia OpenStreetMap lists 5 garden centres, 1 plant nursery, 2 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Underhill Plants — garden centre
Mon–Tue closed; Wed–Fri 11:00–17:00; Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00 · 1 km
Bark & Garden Center — garden centre
Mon–Sun 09:00–17:00 · 4 km
Hefty Harvest — garden centre
Mon–Sun 10:00–18:00 · 4 km
Olympia Farmers Market — market
N Captiol Way 700, 98501 Olympia · Jan–Mar: Sat 10:00–15:00; Apr–Oct: Thu–Sun 10:00–15:00; Nov–Dec: Sat, Sun 10:00–15:00 · 1 km · olympiafarmersmarket.com

Questions