When to plant garlic in St. Gallen: 19 October – end of December

In St. Gallen, garlic: plant from 19 October to the end of December. For planting stock, the places nearby include R. Sager AG (garden centre, 10 km) and Landi Säntis (garden centre, 13 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 St. Gallen: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in St. Gallen from 19 October to the end of December; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in December–February; the coldest, January, averages -2.4 °C.

Planting	19 October – end of December
First autumn frost	18 November
Coldest nights	January, -2.4 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring	15 February
Harvest (card)	about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight	10:43 on 19 October
Daylight at the winter solstice	8:27

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

Garlic in St. Gallen: care after planting

Planted on 19 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

19 October — feed: nitrogen
16 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 St. Gallen, Locarno is 57 days earlier and Basel 2 days later.

City	Distance	Date	Difference
Zurich	63 km	17 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Lucerne	90 km	20 September – 29 November	29 days earlier
Freiburg im Breisgau	130 km	17 October – end of December	2 days earlier
Basel	135 km	21 October – end of December	2 days later
Bellinzona	139 km	16 October – end of December	3 days earlier
Locarno	146 km	23 August – 27 October	57 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in St. Gallen

Planting stock goes into the ground from 19 October to the end of December; buy it before that. Within 15 km of St. Gallen OpenStreetMap lists 7 garden centres, 3 farm-supply shops, 1 plant nursery, 3 markets and 24 farm shops (collected 27 October 2026).

Landi — garden centre
Hauptstrasse 10, 9105 Schönengrund · 15 km · landisaentis.ch
R. Sager AG — garden centre
Gontenstrasse 47, 9108 Gontenbad · 10 km
Landi Säntis — garden centre
Herisauerstrasse 28, 9107 Urnäsch · 13 km
St. Galler Bauernmarkt — market
Apr–Nov: Fri 07:00–13:00 · 1 km

Questions