People often say that the harvest will be double if you plant garlic cloves at this depth and space. Everyone hears these general points! Right?
However, the true and exact answer to this question is how deep and far apart to plant garlic is dependent on several factors.
That’s factors are the environmental characteristics, that highly influence any plant growth, because gardening is all about understanding the connection between the environment and plants.
How Deep and Far Apart to Plant Garlic Cloves?
It is traditionally said to plant garlic cloves 1/2 inches deep and 6/7 inches apart in a row. However, every gardener has different situations due to several factors.
You might be planting garlic cloves in a container with clay soil in a warmer area (tropical/subtropical), and another gardener from colder areas (Canada/Alaska) wants to plant them in a raised bed. Right?
Every home gardener or farmer is in different situations, so the exact depth and space measurement would be calculated after understanding all factors that affect how deep and far apart to plant garlic.
Key Factors That Decide How Deep and Far Apart to Plant Garlic
Although depth and space are the same concept in the sowing garlic clove, the factors that decide how deep and far apart to plant it are obviously different. Because depth means inner the soil and space means outer the soil.
It means depth impacts how much its roots would be established under the soil without seasonal affection (too cold/warm). Therefore, the right depth to plant garlic cloves can be examined by factors, such as climate, soil type, clove size, planting place, etc.
On the other hand, space (far apart) is dependent on how much room is required to grow, spread, and breathe garlic cloves. So, for space, garlic variety, air circulation, and nutrient competition are important to understand.
Space measurement for planting garlic cloves may remain the same (20 to 15cm/ 6 to 8 inches) compared to depth.
How Deep to Plant Garlic Cloves? 4 Key Factors Affect
When deciding the right depth for garlic cloves, you must consider factors, such as soil type, garlic variety, climate, planting method, and even planting time. Because you also have to examine these factors to discover the right time to plant garlic in your area.
So, let’s explore these factors to calculate the right depth for your garlic clove. (your means you, in your situation, and you know every gardener has different conditions under these factors)
Note: You can not decide how deep to plant garlic cloves based on only one factor.
Your soil type, climate (warm/cold), garlic variety (hard-neck/soft-neck), planting time (fall/spring), and planting method (raised bed/container) tell you how deep to plant garlic cloves.
Read and recognize these factors carefully to make your own decision according to your situation.
Factor 1: Soil Type
Soil type directly influences garlic clove growth. Because garlic cloves have to spread deep in the soil, it obviously matters how much moisture the soil releases or holds and how is hard or soft.
Clay Soil
Clay soil retains water for a long time, suppressing garlic cloves in too-moist conditions.
Garlic Gardening says “If garlic cloves are planted too deep in clay soil, more than 1 to 2 inches, they may suffer from root rot, especially during the wet season or rainy areas”
Moreover, you should make a raised bed, especially if the soil is clay. Also, mix organic matter, such as peat, moss, compost, and coco coir in clay soil.
So, you should plant garlic cloves 1 to 2 inches deep maximumly in clay soil to allow air to circulate for clove sprouting.
Loam Soil
Starkbros describes “Pure loam or sandy loam soil is ideal for garlic growth” If you have pure loam soil, plant garlic clove 3 inches (5 to 7.5cm) deep. In the case of sand and loam mixup, you need to plant 1 inch more deep (4 inches/ 7 to 10cm).
Do you know? Pure loam soil is technically ideal for garlic growth, but adding sand, peat moss, or compost improves drainage, which enhance soil health. Complete sandy soil is not recommended for garlic.
Remember, considering only soil type is not enough: wait for other factors’ details and then think about how to keep plant garlic cloves in my situation.
Factor 2: Planting Place
Planting place means where you are planting garlic cloves, such as;
- Raised Beds
- Container/Pot
These places change soil condition, water flow, and root aeration. Along with soil type, planting place is a crucial factor in deciding the ideal depth to plant garlic cloves.
Raised Beds
The depth for planting garlic cloves may be different in a raised bed because their soil structure and water drainage can be controlled and improved manually.
Starkbros also recommends keeping an 8-inch deep raised bed for garlic planting.
Keep 3 to 4-inch deep garlic cloves in a raised bed to allow roots to spread in rich soil that is too little above the ground, achieving proper sunlight for all garlic plants.
Container/Pot
Determining garlic clove depth to plant is considerable compared to a raised bed or open ground and should be adjusted according to the pot/container size.
Gardening know-how prefers a container/pot 6 inches (15cm) deep. Bonnie L. Grant also recommends a big container/pot that should be enough to keep a 6-inch distance between each garlic clove.
However, generally, a 1 to 3 inches (5 to 8cm) depth is ideal for container to plant garlic. Always choose enough garlic cloves for planting in a container or pot because their space is already limited.
Check the container size and adjust each clove by keeping a distance of 6 inches apart.
💡Tip for open ground: You can only examine soil type in the case of open ground.
Factor 3: Climate
Climate is the king of other factors—water availability, soil type, temperature, and other sub-factors are under its influence.
Seasonal conditions of that climate directly affect garlic root growth and the depth needed in the ground. It even causes the soil to dry out and get wet quickly.
Warmer Areas (Texas, Florida, California, Tropical Places)
Warmer places most experience long summers and short, mild winters, increasing the risk of soil drying out quickly, especially if it is sandy or loam sand soil. Here, soft-neck garlic is planted in the fall (October) or spring (March).
According to Heather Rhoades from Gardening Know-how, planting garlic cloves 8 to 10 inches deep is ideal for warmer zones from 7 to 9. This depth protects garlic cloves from drying out quickly in warmness. However, it can be adjusted based on other factors (seasonal and climate conditions).
Colder Areas (Alaska, North U.S.)
Their winters are long and hard with frozen soil. There, summer is short and offer a very short growing season from 90 to 110 days, especially in Alaska (USDA one 1 to 6). These colder areas have more snowfall than rainfall.
Hard-neck garlic is mostly grown in October (fall) as it can tolerate chilly periods for producing flowers and bulbils because garlic is a perennial bulb plant. We cut the scapes to achieve big bulbs, so it seems like an annual.
Catherine Sherriffs from Garden Culture magazine describes “Make holes 3-4 inches deep and 5-6 inches apart”. She also says to apply the 3-inch thick layer of mulch to protect garlic cloves over winter.
Sub-factor affecting how deep to plant garlic: At the planting time, whether it is spring or fall, examine frost period and adjust the right depth accordingly.
Factor 4: Garlic Variety
As you might already know, garlic comes in two common types—hard-neck and soft-neck—based on its structure, appearance, maximum, and minimum temperature tolerances.
Hard-neck garlic Varieties (Purple stripe, Music, Rocambole)
Depending on the variety, their cloves are slightly larger and stiffer, so cloves of hard-neck garlic need more depth to protect from cold.
Epic Gardening recommended to plant its cloves 2 to 3 inches deep, but you need to adjust this depth according to your situation by combining other factors.
Soft-neck Garlic (Silverscreen, California early, Artichoke)
The cloves of soft-neck garlic varieties are small and soft, so planting them too deep causes root rot, damaging the whole clove under the ground.
According to various resources, Its cloves should be planted about 1 to 2 inches (2.5/5cm) deep to prevent root rot inside.
How Far Apart to Plant Garlic Cloves
As for spacing between each garlic clove, instead of several factors, a single basic concept applies: Adequate air circulation, light availability, and complete nutritional competition.
A distance of 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20cm) is considered flexible in any situation because of this:
- Improve air circulation, reduce too much moisture, and prevent fungus disease.
- Sunlight reaches all garlic plants and the remaining photosynthesis conditions for each plant.
- Roots remained balanced in nutritional competition, neither crowding in too much nor leaving the party behind.
The spacing between garlic almost remained the same and flexible, even in gardeners’ specific situations. You have to plant garlic cloves 6/8 inches far apart in rows.
The Final Garlic Depth to Plant Garlic Cloves According to Your Soil Type, Garlic Variety, Climate, and Planting Place
Now, finally, we have understood four factors (soil type, planting place, climate, and garlic variety) that affect the right hole depth to plant garlic cloves. The main goal is to combine all these factors to choose the ideal planting depth for your garlic cloves.
Many gardeners adopt a general depth measurement based on only one factor (such as soil type) and get good results after its complete growth because they might already have that experience.
However, this narrow topic can create confusion for beginners “How much depth should I keep in the end”
That’s why I have explained all factors separately so that you can understand their importance in plant growth and decide the exact planting depth and space for your garlic.
Check out the table and look for your situation to explore how deep and far apart to plant garlic cloves.
| Garlic Variety | Planting Place | Soil Type | Climate | Planting Depth (cm) | Spacing (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Clay | Colder | 5–6 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Clay | Warmer | 4–5 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Loamy | Colder | 6–7 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Loamy | Warmer | 5–6 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Loamy Sand | Colder | 7–8 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Raised Bed | Loamy Sand | Warmer | 6–7 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Clay | Colder | 4–5 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Clay | Warmer | 4 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Loamy | Colder | 6–7 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Loamy | Warmer | 5–6 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Loamy Sand | Colder | 7–8 | 6–8 |
| Hardneck | Container | Loamy Sand | Warmer | 6–7 | 6–8 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Clay | Colder | 5–6 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Clay | Warmer | 4–5 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Loamy | Colder | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Loamy | Warmer | 5–6 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Loamy Sand | Colder | 7–8 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Raised Bed | Loamy Sand | Warmer | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Clay | Colder | 4–5 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Clay | Warmer | 4 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Loamy | Colder | 6–7 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Loamy | Warmer | 5–6 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Loamy Sand | Colder | 7–8 | 5–7 |
| Softneck | Container | Loamy Sand | Warmer | 6–7 | 5–7 |
Final Thoughts: How Deep and Far Apart to Plant Garlic Cloves
When it comes to how deep and far up to plant garlic cloves, remember that depth and spacing go hand in hand. While depth is a more important factor, spacing is a flexible criterion that is almost always the same in every environment.
When you take all these factors into account when choosing your planting depth, you not only eliminate confusion but also lay a solid foundation for garlic growth and production.
The best formula is to start your experiment on your own land according to the instructions in the table so that your understanding grows with each crop and the next time your garlic is planted.
