How Much Garlic Needed to Plant an Acre?
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Cheri Frederick
Posted on: February 17, 2005

When ordering garlic, how much do I need to plant an acre?

Varieties differ in the number of plantable cloves you get per unit weight. Here is a guide to the number of cloves you get per kilogram of garlic for each of the Richters varieties:

Inchelium Red (softneck type): 125 cloves/kg

Polish White (softneck type): 143 cloves/kg

Susanville (softneck type): 147 cloves/kg

Belarus (hardneck type): 239 cloves/kg

Music (hardneck type): 150 cloves/kg

Purple Trillium (hardneck type): 202 cloves/kg

Siberian (hardneck type): 165 cloves/kg

(These numbers will vary somewhat from year to year but these can be used as a guide for calculating the number of kilograms you need.)

The planting scheme you use will also affect how much garlic you need per acre. Garlic is planted in single rows or in multiple row beds. In a single row scheme, the rows are spaced to allow access for cultivation and harvesting equipment. Depending on the equipment the spacing may be as much as 90-100cm (3-4ft). In a bed planting scheme there are 4-8 rows per bed spaced about 20cm (8in) apart. The beds themselves are spaced wider apart to allow access.

Whether you are planting in single rows or beds, the spacing of garlic within rows is the same: between 7cm (2.75in) and 12cm (4.75in) apart. The bigger bulbed softneck varieties should be further apart than the smaller hardneck varieties.

Typically you will need 700-1000 kilograms per hectare, or 600-900 pounds per acre.

For more information on commercial garlic growing, visit the Resources section of our website in the "GrowerZone" area.

Back to Commercial Herb Production and Marketing | Q & A Index

Copyright © 1997-2024 Otto Richter and Sons Limited. All rights reserved.