One of the first steps you take when you are estimating your gardening schedule is find your USDA Zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Zone 2b you can estimate when it's possible to plant garlic by using the USDA zone info.

Planting Calendar for Garlic

Frost tolerance for garlic:	Very tolerant of frost.
When to plant:	Up to 7 weeks before last frost.

Garlic tend to make it in quite a bit of cold which tells us that you can plant them a lot earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant garlic in Zone 2b is April. However, you really should wait until May if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant garlic and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your garlic may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your garlic indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 2b the average date of last frost happens on May 15. In the coldest months of winter you should expect an average low temperature of -45°F.

Keep in mind that USDA zone info for Zone 2b is not always accurate and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Since half of the time in Zone 2b you get a frost after May 15 be ready to protect your garlic in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 2b

Here is the info for USDA Zone 2b.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	August 15
Lowest Expected Low	-45°F
Highest Expected Low	-40°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -45°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -40°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 2b

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 2b.