When to plant garlic in Rapid City: 12 September – 28 November

In Rapid City, garlic: plant from 12 September to about 28 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.

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 Rapid City: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Rapid City from 12 September to about 28 November; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in November–March; the coldest, February, averages -8.7 °C.

Planting	12 September – 28 November
First autumn frost	12 October
Coldest nights	February, -8.7 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	18 March
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: May
Daylight	12:43 on 12 September
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:53

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

Garlic in Rapid City: care after planting

Planted on 12 September: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

12 September — feed: nitrogen
10 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant garlic later than Rapid City; the closest date is in Cheyenne, 1 day later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Pierre	233 km	24 September – 19 November	12 days later
Cheyenne	351 km	13 September – 4 December	1 day later
Bismarck	360 km	15 September – 4 November	3 days later
Fort Collins	420 km	21 September – 5 December	9 days later
Billings	457 km	14 September – 23 November	2 days later
Denver	503 km	15 September – 14 December	3 days later

Where to buy garlic for planting in Rapid City

Planting stock goes into the ground from 12 September to about 28 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Rapid City OpenStreetMap lists 1 market (collected 29 October 2026).

Blackhills Farmers Market — market
East Omaha Street 245, 57701 Rapid City · Nov–Apr Sat 09:00–12:00; May–Oct Sat 08:00–13:00; Jul–Oct Wed 08:00–13:00 · 2 km · blackhillsfarmersmarket.org

Questions