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When to plant garlic in Traverse City: 10 October – 26 November

In Traverse City, garlic: plant from 10 October to about 26 November. For planting stock, the places nearby include Cherry U-Pick at Third Coast Fruit Co. (farm shop, 7 km) and Lightwell Lavender Farm (farm shop, 12 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 Traverse City: soil, season and weather

Garlic goes into the ground in Traverse City from 10 October to about 26 November; the window opens a month before the first autumn frost. Nights then average below 0 °C in December–March; the coldest, February, averages -7.1 °C.

Planting10 October – 26 November
First autumn frost9 November
Coldest nightsFebruary, -7.1 °C
Soil back at 5 °C in spring12 April
Harvest (card)about 8 months after planting: June
Daylight11:17 on 10 October
Daylight at the winter solstice8:48

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

Garlic in Traverse City: care after planting

Planted on 10 October: in the first weeks water every 7 days.

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

  • 10 October — feed: nitrogen
  • 7 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

All the nearest cities on our list plant garlic earlier than Traverse City; the closest date is in Detroit, 2 days earlier.

CityDistanceDateDifference
Green Bay192 km30 September – 17 November10 days earlier
Grand Rapids201 km4 October – 29 November6 days earlier
Lansing244 km3 October – 29 November7 days earlier
Milwaukee266 km2 October – 25 November8 days earlier
Ann Arbor315 km6 October – 30 November4 days earlier
Detroit341 km8 October – 7 December2 days earlier

Where to buy garlic for planting in Traverse City

Planting stock goes into the ground from 10 October to about 26 November; buy it before that. Within 15 km of Traverse City OpenStreetMap lists 13 garden centres, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 market and 6 farm shops (collected 28 October 2026).

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Questions

When to plant garlic in Traverse City?

In Traverse City, garlic: plant from 10 October to about 26 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.

When is the last spring frost in Traverse City?

Last spring frost around 2 May, first autumn frost around 9 November.

Other crops in Traverse City, with their dates