How to Plant Garlic in Zone 6

Plant garlic just before the first frost to make digging and planting easier. In USDA growing zone 6, the first frost should fall around October 1 to October 10, making the ideal garlic planting date in mid September.

Find a site in the garden where the garlic will get full sun all day in both summer and winter. Since this crop stays in the ground during winter, make sure your site gets good drainage after rain, or plan to build a raised area to protect the garlic from standing water.

Dig amendments into the soil, even if you amended the soil earlier in the year. Dig 2 inches of organic compost and 1 inch of quick-draining soil into the top 5 inches of garden soil, or use these amendments to build a 4- to 5-inch raised bed for the garlic. Mix 10-10-10 fertilizer into the top 2 inches of soil to give garlic the nutrition it likes.

Crack garlic heads and harvest the largest and firmest of the cloves. Plant these cloves pointed end up, 1 inch deep and at 2 to 3 inches in the row. If you're planting several rows, space them at 18 to 30 inches.

Water the garlic patch with 2 inches of water, and spread 4 inches of organic mulch around each planting. Maintain this mulch layer through the winter to protect the garlic from extremely cold temperatures.