Texas fall garlic planting

Last updated 2026-10-14

When to plant garlic in Texas

North Texas and Austin can share fall planting dates but need different garlic varieties. Choose a locally tested strain and check whether your winter supplies the cold it needs.

Young garlic shoots in a Texas raised bed with softneck bulbs in a terracotta bowl.

The local answer

Dallas County Master Gardeners recommends mid-October through early November for North Texas. Austin's extension checklist allows mid-October through early December. AgriLife lists November or December for its warmer southern gardening regions. Check your county's advice before choosing a date.

Read the local windows

Local planting dates

Local garlic planting dates

Dallas County and North Texas

Check your USDA zone by address. The county dates do not depend on a zone label.

Mid-October through early November in the Dallas County guide

Dallas County Master Gardeners gives this fall window for root establishment before winter, with harvest around May or June. AgriLife lists earlier dates for its colder gardening regions. Ask your county extension office which garlic dates apply to your garden.

Dallas County Master Gardeners Association, Now is the Time to Plant Garlic!, November 1, 2025.

Austin and Central Texas

The statewide table pairs gardening region III with USDA zone 8.

Mid-October through early December in Austin

Travis County gives this planting period. The author plants early-maturing varieties in October to harvest before May rain can rot bulbs in her heavy clay soil.

Texas A&M AgriLife, Travis County, October vegetable garden checklist.

Warmer southern gardening regions

The statewide table pairs region IV with zone 9a and region V with zone 9b.

November in region IV and December in region V

AgriLife gives these months in its statewide table. Its older USDA zone labels are a broad guide. Check the current zone for your address and use your county's planting advice.

AgriLife Fall Vegetable Gardening Guide, tables 1 and 3.

Statewide and county advice

Why Texas planting dates differ

AgriLife lists July, August, October, November and December for garlic in gardening regions I through V. It pairs those regions with USDA zones 6, 7, 8, 9a and 9b. These older labels do not cover every zone on the current USDA map. Hardiness zones describe winter minimums, not fall soil temperature.

The July and August dates are earlier than Dallas and Travis County's garlic advice. In the Panhandle or at higher elevations, ask your county extension office for local planting dates and suitable stock. Austin's dates may not apply there.

Use freeze forecasts to decide when exposed shoots need protection. Austin's extension article notes a freeze as early as Halloween, though the usual first freeze comes later. A first frost does not set one planting date for all of Texas. Keep the bed well drained.

Choose the planting stock

Winter cold and variety choice

6 to 8 weeks below 40°F

Texas A&M's commercial garlic guide gives this cold requirement before bulbs form. Bulbing then begins as days lengthen and soil warms. The guide does not give a refrigerator treatment for every variety. Ask your seed supplier what treatment their stock needs in your part of Texas.

Texas A&M AgriLife gives the cold requirement in its Garlic crop guide.

Softneck for mild winters

California Early, Lorz, Inchelium Red and Texas Rose

The Travis County author reports better results with softneck in Central Texas and lists these varieties. AgriLife also recommends California Early. Buy a locally tested strain and record when you harvest it.

Try hardneck in a colder garden

Music and Purple Stripe

Hardneck grows better in cold climates. Travis County suggests trying these types with a few weeks of refrigeration. Texas A&M's commercial guide gives a longer cold requirement. Ask the supplier which treatment suits your variety before chilling all your stock.

Elephant garlic is a leek relative

Elephant garlic

AgriLife recommends elephant garlic for gardens. It is a leek relative, not true garlic. Compare its spacing and growing results separately from those of garlic varieties.

Harvest timing

Harvest before mature bulbs rot in wet soil

May to June in the North and Central Texas examples

Dallas County Master Gardeners expects a fall planting to reach harvest in May or June. The Austin author grows early varieties for harvest in mid-May because rain can rot mature bulbs in her clay soil. She recommends harvest no later than June in better-drained beds. Ask about harvest timing when buying a variety for a southern garden.

Use a raised bed or another well-drained site. Travis County recommends planting cloves 1 to 2 inches deep and 6 inches apart, pointed end up. Water as needed through winter without soaking the bed.

When tops dry and begin to fall, inspect a bulb. Texas A&M advises stopping irrigation once cloves fill the bulb and 3 to 5 wrapper layers have formed. Dig carefully. Cure the bulbs with good airflow, out of direct sun.

Check my local weather

FAQ

Questions about Texas garlic

Check local planting dates and whether your stock needs cold treatment.

Can I plant garlic in Texas in December?

Travis County allows planting in Austin through early December. AgriLife lists December for gardening region V. In colder North Texas or Panhandle gardens, check county advice before planting that late.

Should Texas gardeners grow hardneck or softneck garlic?

The Travis County author reports better results with softneck in Central Texas. Try hardneck in a colder garden or with stock prepared for your conditions. Ask a local supplier which strains have formed divided bulbs nearby.

Does garlic need refrigeration in Texas?

Ask your supplier about the variety and your winter conditions. Texas A&M's commercial guide gives six to eight weeks below 40°F. Travis County suggests a few weeks of refrigeration for hardneck trials. These are different recommendations, so get instructions for the stock you buy.

Why does the Texas planting table list summer dates?

AgriLife lists July for region I and August for region II. Dallas County Master Gardeners recommends mid-October through early November. The recommendations differ. Check garlic-specific county advice and your soil conditions before choosing a date.

When should I harvest garlic in Texas?

Dallas County's guide expects harvest in May or June. The Austin author favours an early harvest before wet clay rots mature bulbs. Check that cloves fill the bulb and wrappers remain intact. Harvest dates vary by variety and location.

Texas planting references

These Texas A&M and county guides give the dates and variety advice.

More Texas garlic advice

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Check winter cold requirements and compare regional planting dates.

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Purple-striped garlic cloves spread on a dark surface, ready to be planted.

Timing

Guide

When to Plant Garlic

Plant garlic in the fall once soil has cooled to about 50°F, commonly one to three weeks after the first killing frost and four to six weeks before the ground freezes.

Read guide