October is garlic month: Plant cloves and spring bulbs before the ground freezes

If you want home-grown garlic next summer, the window is open now. UMass Extension's home garden guidance names October as the month to put cloves in the ground in Massachusetts, ideally after a hard frost, so the plants can root before winter.

Garlic basics from UMass Extension

Pick a bed that gets six to eight hours of direct sun, with deep, loose soil that drains well. The fact sheet suggests a soil pH around 6.5 to 7 and recommends testing the soil and working in well-aged compost before planting.

• Keep bulbs whole until planting day; splitting them early can cut yields.
• Choose the biggest, healthiest bulbs and plant each clove pointed end up, about 1 inch deep.
• Space cloves 3 to 5 inches apart, in double rows 6 to 8 inches apart.
• Once the ground freezes, spread 3 to 4 inches of straw over the bed to keep frost from heaving cloves out.

Hardneck types tend to have larger cloves that peel easily, while softneck garlic keeps longer in storage, the guide notes. Local nurseries, farm supply stores and regional garlic festivals are common places to find seed garlic.

Spring bulbs follow a simple rule

For tulips, daffodils and other spring bloomers, a September 2026 column from University of Vermont Extension master gardener Deborah J. Benoit offers an easy depth guide: dig about three times as deep as the bulb is tall. A 2-inch bulb goes in a 6-inch hole, pointed side up.

Backfill, tamp lightly and water. A layer of mulch helps hold moisture and limits winter heaving, the column says.