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When to plant garlic in Rochester: 13 October – 14 December

In Rochester, garlic: plant from 13 October to about 14 December. For planting stock, the places nearby include Stem Plants (garden centre, 2 km) and The Garden Factory (garden centre, 7 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 Rochester: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Rochester from 13 October to about 14 December; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, January, averages -4.7 °C.

Planting13 October – 14 December
First autumn frost12 November
Coldest nightsJanuary, -4.7 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring14 March
Harvest (card)about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight11:11 on 13 October
Daylight at the winter solstice8:59

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

Garlic in Rochester: care after planting

Planted on 13 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

  • 13 October — feed: nitrogen
  • 10 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 Rochester, Toronto is 13 days earlier and Erie 7 days later.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Buffalo106 km11 October – 6 December2 days earlier
Syracuse (United States)121 km7 October – 28 November6 days earlier
Ithaca121 km9 October – 4 December4 days earlier
Toronto153 km30 September – 25 November13 days earlier
Hamilton181 km8 October – 10 December5 days earlier
Erie231 km20 October – 22 December7 days later

Where to buy garlic for planting in Rochester

Planting stock goes into the ground from 13 October to about 14 December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Rochester OpenStreetMap lists 8 garden centres, 7 markets and 2 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant garlic in Rochester?

In Rochester, garlic: plant from 13 October to about 14 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 Rochester?

Last spring frost around 20 April, first autumn frost around 12 November.

Other crops in Rochester, with their dates