Iowa · zones 4b–6a
When to plant garlic in Iowa.
Iowa's window for garlic runs on the fall side of the season. A second, fall sowing fits Sep 6 to Oct 22. Dates below are state medians; your ZIP code shifts them by days to weeks.
The 2026 windows
Garlic dates for a typical Iowa season.
Fall round
Sep 6 to Oct 22
Counted back from the ~Oct 7 first frost.
Harvest
~240 days later
~0.2 lb per plant over ~1 weeks.
Iowa spans more than one climate: Zone 5 is the most common zone, but the state runs 4b to 6a. That's why the planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not your zone — mountain and coastal gardens in the same state can be three weeks apart.