When it comes to planting garlic, the amount of seed garlic you will need depends on a few factors. These include the type of garlic you are planting, the spacing between cloves, and the size of the cloves themselves.
On average, one pound of seed garlic will be enough to plant approximately 20-25 row feet of garlic. This assumes a spacing of 6 inches between cloves. However, it’s important to note that this estimate may vary slightly depending on whether you are planting hardneck or softneck garlic.
Hardneck garlic bulbs generally have larger cloves compared to softneck varieties. As a result, each pound of hardneck seed garlic will typically have fewer cloves, ranging from 35-50 cloves. Softneck garlic, on the other hand, tends to have smaller cloves, so you can expect more cloves per pound.
To get a more accurate estimate, it’s helpful to know the specific type of garlic you plan to plant. For instance, if you have a pound of hardneck garlic with 40 cloves, and you plant them with a spacing of 6 inches, you can calculate that it will cover approximately 10 feet in length (40 cloves divided by 4 cloves per foot). Similarly, if you have a pound of softneck garlic with 50 cloves, it should cover around 12.5 feet in length (50 cloves divided by 4 cloves per foot).
It’s worth mentioning that garlic cloves can vary in size within a bulb, so there may be some variation in the number of cloves per pound. Additionally, some gardeners prefer to plant cloves closer together for a denser garlic crop, while others may opt for wider spacing for larger bulbs. Adjusting the spacing will, of course, affect how much seed garlic you will need.
When planning your garlic planting, it’s always a good idea to have a little extra seed garlic on hand in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Some cloves may not sprout or may not develop as expected, so having a backup supply can ensure a successful harvest.
In my personal experience, I have found that planting garlic with a spacing of 6 inches between cloves works well for most varieties. It allows enough room for the bulbs to develop without being crowded, while also maximizing the use of space in the garden. However, I have also experimented with closer spacings for smaller varieties and wider spacings for larger bulbs, depending on my goals for the harvest.
To summarize, the amount of seed garlic you will need depends on the type of garlic, the spacing between cloves, and the size of the cloves themselves. On average, one pound of seed garlic will plant 20-25 row feet of garlic with a spacing of 6 inches between cloves. However, this estimate may vary based on the specific garlic variety and your desired spacing. It’s always a good idea to have a little extra seed garlic on hand to account for any unforeseen circumstances. Happy garlic planting!
