Exact depth to plant garlic for ‘good bulb development’ in autumn

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Planting garlic at the wrong time of year is one of the biggest mistakes made by gardeners, but it’s not the only error that can ruin the crop. Like other flowering bulbs, garlic must be planted deep enough to protect them from cold weather and shallow enough to gather up in early summer. A gardening expert at Garden Eco has shared how to master the planting depth for “clean” and “easy to harvest” garlic cloves.

Gardening in autumn relies largely on the air and soil temperature which determines when certain seeds, bulbs and plants can be grown.

According to Garden Eco, planting depth “makes a big difference” to the success of homegrown garlic as it is one way to moderate soil temperatures.

They said: “Planting more deeply helps to keep the clove from making too much top growth, especially with autumn planting when leaves may be exposed to very cold weather.

“Generally speaking, those in southern climates plant more shallowly and those in northern climates plant more deeply.”

How deep to plant garlic

At a minimum, garlic bulbs should be planted three inches deep with plenty of mulch to insulate the soil surface.

Experts at Small Farms added that this depth should be increased to five inches if you are not planning to mulch the planting site.

While planting all types of garlic to a certain depth is important, it can vary depending on whether you are growing hard-neck or soft-neck varieties.

According to Garden Eco, hard-neck garlic cloves are larger and send up a seed stalk while soft-neck are known for their smaller cloves and large, floppy leaves. 

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Deep planting

Due to their size, the experts recommended that hard-kneck bulbs are buried further down in the soil.

They said: “Hardneck cloves may need to be planted a little deeper to keep the clove from being exposed as the soil packs down. However, in most cases, this is only a matter of half an inch or so.”

Planting as deep as six inches in the ground is necessary for northern regions though three to four inches is usually fine for warmer gardens in southern parts of the UK.

However, Garden Eco warned against planting too deep as it can encourage mould.

Shallow planting

It is possible to plant garlic closer to the soil surface in warmer climates.

Garden Eco said: “Shallow planting depths for garlic range from one and a half to two inches.

“The cloves are then covered with six to eight inches of clean straw. Planting in this manner ensures the cloves will be clean and makes them very easy to harvest.”

Shallow planting is best for heavier clay soil types that remain cold and wet in spring.

How to plant garlic

Autumn is the ideal time to plant garlic as the bulbs need a cold period before flourishing into a flavoursome crop. According to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), one to two months at 0-10C is ideal for “good bulb development”.

Before planting, it is important to prepare the soil structure by removing weeds and digging in organic matter. Two bucketfuls of rotted manure or garden compost are all you need per square metre, though you should avoid fresh manure at all costs.

The RHS said: “Carefully break up the bulbs into individual cloves or segments. Take care to plant them the right way up, with the flat basal plate facing downwards and the pointed end upwards.”

Space the cloves six inches apart to the right depth for your garlic variety and soil type.

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