How Much Garlic do I need for Planting?

Updated: Dec 19, 2024

How Many Garlic Bulbs Do You Need? A Planting Guide

Alright, so you’re diving into garlic-growing greatness! Calculating how much garlic to plant is as easy as peeling an orange—but let’s spice it up with some garlic math wizardry! Each garlic bulb is kind of like a manderine orange, holding 5-10 "parts". When we talk about garlic bulbs, these "parts" are cloves. To figure out how much you need, decide how many plants you want. Each clove grows into one glorious garlic plant. Want 100 plants? Easy! You need 100 cloves. Now for the funny part: garlic math is foolproof, which is great because no one wants to be the person staring at a pile of garlic muttering, “Is this enough for my apocalypse garden?” On the flip side, there’s also no shame in overestimating and ending up with an accidental garlic empire. It’s a win-win—more garlic means more love, more flavor, and potentially more vampire deterrent. Tears of laughter? Tears from peeling? Who knows? Just do the math, plant the cloves, and let the garlic magic unfold!

Let’s do a little garlic math (don’t worry, it’s 1st-grade level, promise). Remember, each garlic clove you plant is a “seed garlic,” which means it’s the start of a new garlic plant. We will explore the fun formula for figuring out how many cloves (or “seeds”) you need. Decide how many garlic plants you want. Is it 10, 50, or maybe enough to fill your whole garden? Plan your planting space. Garlic likes to spread out a bit, so leave about 5 or 6 inches between each clove for the best growth. Let's do the math! Simple math, big garlic dreams. By counting out your cloves and giving them space to grow, you’re setting up for a harvest full of beautiful, garlic ready for anything !

Factors to Consider:

Garlic Variety: Different garlic varieties have varying numbers of cloves per bulb.
Desired Harvest: How much garlic do you plan to consume, and do you plan to plant again?
Garden Space: How much area do you have for your garlic patch?
Planting Distance: Garlic cloves typically need space to grow.

Garlic Varieties and Their Cloves:

Rocambole and Purple Stripe: Think of these as the "mega cloves" with about 10 cloves each.
Porcelain: Typically large, plump cloves with around 6 cloves per bulb.
Marbled Purple Stripe & Asiatic: These are somewhere between the two, with about 7 cloves per bulb.

EXAMPLE 1: Calculating the Number of Bulbs for a 3 foot x 3 foot Garden Bed:

Let's say you want to plant hardneck "Music Cultivar, Porcelain type" garlic in a 3-foot x 3-foot garden bed. You decide to space the cloves 6 inches apart. You will be planting in Autumn. Each garlic clove, planted pointy-side up, about 3-4 inches deep, likely will develop a new garlic plant next year. You'll harvest the plants in late July of next year.

Determine how many garlic cloves you will need:

There are 12 inches in a foot.
If you space cloves 6 inches apart, you can fit 12 ÷ 6 = 2 cloves per foot.
You decide to plant garlic in a grid pattern and space rows 6 inches apart, for a total of 6 rows. (this creates a grid pattern for your planting).
3 foot row * 2 cloves per foot = 6 cloves per row.
6 rows * 6 cloves per row allow for 36 cloves.

Determine how many garlic bulbs you need:
You decide to plant Porcelain Music Hardneck Garlic.
Typically there are 6 cloves per bulb and right around 6 bulbs per pound.
You would need one pound (36 cloves) to complete this planting.

EXAMPLE 2: Calculating the Number of Cloves for a 10-foot row of Garlic:

Let's say you want to plant a single row of garlic that's 10 feet long. You decide to space the cloves 5 inches apart.

Determine the number of cloves per foot:

There are 12 inches in a foot.
If you space cloves 5 inches apart, you can fit 12 ÷ 5 = 2.4 cloves per foot.

Calculate the total number of cloves:

You have a 10-foot row.
So, you need 2.4 cloves per foot * 10 feet = 24 cloves.
That was easy!

Calculate the total number of Bulbs:

You need 24 cloves to plant
You plan to plant "Montana Giant, porcelain hardneck garlic". Montana Giant has right around seven (7) individual cloves per bulb.
24 cloves / 7 cloves per bulb = 3.4 Bulbs
3 bulbs of Montana Giant is right around half a pound. You order a half-pound (or a little more) of garlic from GROeat Farm.

Clove Variability and Optimization

It is imperative to note that clove count per bulb can exhibit significant intra-specific variation. While Porcelain varieties often demonstrate larger individual cloves, this observation does not consistently correlate with overall clove number. To ensure optimal planting density and maximize yield, acquiring a surplus of bulbs is recommended. Smaller cloves, while suitable for culinary applications, may demonstrate reduced vigor during cultivation. Prioritizing larger cloves for planting is advisable due to their increased potential energy reserves, which can contribute to robust plant establishment and development. Remember: These are just estimates. The actual number of cloves per bulb can vary. It's always a good idea to have a few extra cloves on hand.

Planning for Your Garlic Needs:

Consider your garlic consumption: If you eat a lot of garlic, sell garlic, or even give garlic away to friends, you might want to plant more.
Save cloves for next year: Garlic can be propagated from cloves. Save some of your harvest to plant the following year.
Experiment with varieties: Try different types of garlic to find your favorites.

Growing Your Own Garlic.

Planting garlic is like orchestrating a concert with the top singer-performers taking center stage. Our concert includes garlic cloves that resemble Taylor Swift, Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Stray Kids, Luke Combs, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan, Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Eminem, and SZA. Close your eyes. Each of the singers is a garlic clove. Each clove is a potential star, waiting to burst into a robust bulb that sings with flavor. Just like a well-rehearsed performance, preparation is key. The soil becomes the stage, rich and well-drained, ready to support these future stars. As you gently tuck each clove into the earth, it's like placing a microphone in front of a talented vocalist, ensuring they have the perfect environment to thrive.

Throughout the growing season, garlic shoots emerge like eager soloists, reaching for the spotlight of the sun. They grow steadily, each leaf a note in a melodious symphony of green. By summer's end, the bulbs swell, promising a harvest that rivals the applause of a captivated audience, each bulb a standing ovation to your gardening prowess. Planting garlic isn't just about growing food; it's about nurturing your own culinary stars and creating a performance in your garden that leaves everyone wanting an encore.

So there you have it, folks! The science of calculating how much garlic you need for planting, simplified. It's a mathematical masterpiece, a horticultural harmony. It's about intuition, a dash of luck, and a whole lot of love. After all, who needs a fancy degree when you can grow your own garlic? It's the ultimate DIY project, a testament to your gardening prowess. So go forth, plant your cloves, and let the garlic grow! And when you harvest that bountiful crop, remember to thank the garlic gods, and perhaps offer a sacrifice of a particularly pungent clove.

And, remember, while numbers and calculations are important, there's also an art to growing garlic. If you have time, please read this article on our secrets on growing wonderful garlic.

Happy gardening, garlic lovers! May your harvests be plentiful and your kitchens always fragrant.

Jennifer’s Garlic Journey: From Novice to Garlic Whisperer (a short story)

Jennifer had always been captivated by the idea of growing her own food, but garlic—simple, flavorful, and steeped in culinary magic—held a special allure. When she stumbled upon GroEat Garlic Farm in Montana, a spark of determination ignited. Their seed garlic was legendary, and Jennifer, armed with a bag of Porcelain Music bulbs, felt she was about to embark on a journey of transformation—not just for her garden but for her soul.

As she sat at her kitchen table, surrounded by plump garlic bulbs, Jennifer delved into the surprisingly straightforward yet profound art of garlic math. Each bulb, she learned, was a treasure chest of 5-10 cloves, each waiting to transform into a vibrant plant. She sketched out her plan: a tidy 3x3 garden bed where 36 cloves would find their new home, spaced precisely 6 inches apart like stars in a constellation. With her autumn planting date circled in red, she felt like an alchemist preparing for a magical experiment.

Planting day arrived on a crisp October morning. Jennifer worked methodically, pressing each clove into the cool soil, pointy-side up, with the precision of a surgeon and the joy of a child planting hope. She whispered words of encouragement to her future garlic empire, imagining the robust, flavorful harvest that would emerge next summer. Garlic farming wasn’t just planting—it was a delightful dance of choices. Which variety? How many cloves? What space? Porcelain Music, with its six majestic cloves per bulb, was her garlic of choice for this maiden voyage. She loved its reputation for robust flavor, and its predictability in the garden made it a wise selection for a beginner.

By the time spring arrived, her garlic patch was a sea of vibrant green shoots reaching for the sky. Jennifer marveled at how something so small and unassuming could transform into such an elegant display of life. Summer came, and with it, the harvest—a bounty of fragrant bulbs that smelled like triumph and tasted like her hard work.

Jennifer’s garlic journey was more than a gardening project. It was a reflection of her patience, curiosity, and the simple joy of nurturing something from the earth. Her kitchen became a haven for roasted garlic spreads, golden garlic chips, and the zestiest pesto her friends had ever tasted. Jennifer smiled every time she walked past her garden, now filled with plans for expansion. Her garlic adventure had taught her more than how to calculate planting space or measure cloves per bulb—it had reminded her of the magic that happens when you dig in, dream big, and let nature do the rest.