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Garlic and bulb planting calculator
Quick answer
Give each garlic clove a 6 inch square and plant it about 2 inches deep, pointed end up, as University of Kentucky Extension advises. A 4 by 8 foot bed then holds 8 rows of 16, or 128 cloves: 16 to 22 heads at 6 to 8 cloves a head. Tulips and daffodils go 6 inches apart and 6 to 8 inches deep, Iowa State Extension says.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
Garlic and bulb planting calculator
Change any number and the answer updates as you type.
Cloves to plant 128 cloves
- Layout
- 8 rows of 16
- Spacing
- 6 in along the row, 6 in between rows
- Planting depth
- 2 in to the base
- Garlic heads to buy
- 16 to 22 (at 8 to 6 cloves a head)
Plant each clove pointed end up. Break the heads apart only on planting day.
No garden math needed
How to use this, in plain words
Measure the bed inside the boards, length and width in feet. For rows in open ground, measure one row and count the rows.
Pick garlic, large bulbs or small bulbs. The spacing fills in from the extension figures; change it if your package says otherwise.
Read the count, and for garlic the number of heads to buy. Kentucky Extension says each head holds six to eight cloves.
Dig each hole to the depth shown, measured to the base of the clove or bulb, and set it pointed end up.
Print the planting map and write down what went where before you mulch over it.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026.
What the store won't tell you
Before you start
- Seed garlic is sold by the head or by the pound. The number of heads in a pound varies, so ask the seller how many heads you'll get before you order.
- Measure inside the bed. Boards take up a few inches, and on a 4 foot bed that can cost you a whole row.
- Garlic and bulbs go in during fall, but the right weeks depend on where you live. Look up your zone and your frost dates first.
- Bulbs from one bag vary in size. Measure a few of the biggest for the depth and plant the small ones at the same depth.
Go deeper: How many garlic cloves for a bed, and how many heads or pounds to buy · When to plant garlic in zones 6 to 7, read from your frost date · When to plant garlic in zones 3 to 5: one to two weeks after the first frost · How deep to mulch garlic in cold zones, and when to pull the mulch back · When to plant garlic in zones 8 to 10: fall, ahead of the first frost · How many bulbs per square foot: tulips, daffodils and crocus · When to plant tulip bulbs in zones 6 to 7 · When to plant tulip bulbs in zones 3 to 5 · Bulbs still in the bag and the ground is about to freeze · How many tomato plants fit in a 4 x 8 raised bed · Can you plant onions in the fall? It depends on how far south you are · Pre-chilling tulip bulbs for a warm winter · When to plant tulip bulbs in zones 8 to 10
The formula, in words
How it works
- Cloves or bulbs in a row: the row length in inches ÷ the spacing, rounded down. The first one sits half a spacing in from the edge.
- Rows in a bed: the bed width in inches ÷ the gap between rows, rounded down. Total = rows × cloves per row × beds.
- Garlic heads: cloves ÷ 8 and cloves ÷ 6, each rounded up. Kentucky Extension says a head holds six to eight cloves. Type your own count if you've broken one open.
- Depth to the base of the bulb: garlic about 2 inches (Kentucky); tulips and daffodils 6 to 8 inches, crocuses and grape hyacinths 3 to 4 inches. Any other bulb: 3 to 4 times its width at the widest point (Iowa State).
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
Printable sheet
What to record
Garlic stays in the ground from fall until the next summer, and bulbs only show up in spring, so it's easy to forget what went where. The printable planting map has room for:
- Bed and where it is
- What you planted and the variety on the label
- How many, and the spacing
- Date planted and how deep
- Mulch on (date)
- First shoots seen (date)
Checked by hand
Worked example
One 4 by 8 foot raised bed of garlic, cloves 6 inches apart each way.
- Along the bed: 8 ft × 12 = 96 in, ÷ 6 in = 16 cloves a row.
- Across the bed: 4 ft × 12 = 48 in, ÷ 6 in = 8 rows. 8 × 16 = 128 cloves.
- Heads: 128 ÷ 8 = 16, rounded up to 16; 128 ÷ 6 = 21.33, rounded up to 22.
- Depth: 2 in to the base of each clove.
Why it may not match the bag or the store
If the answer surprises you
❓
Fewer rows than you expected
The tool leaves half a spacing at every edge, so nothing sits right against the boards. A 4 foot bed at 6 inches holds 8 rows, not 9.
❓
The head count is a range
Heads don't all hold the same number of cloves. Kentucky Extension says six to eight; Utah State says 10 to 15 at harvest. Break one open and type your own count.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
❓
A different spacing somewhere else
The sources disagree. Kentucky Extension spaces garlic 6 inches apart; Utah State uses 3 to 4 inches in rows 6 to 10 inches apart. Both are extension figures, and the tool starts with Kentucky's and lets you change it.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
Other cases
Variants
🟫
Garlic in rows, closer together
Utah State Extension plants cloves 3 to 4 inches apart in rows 6 to 10 inches apart. Pick "Rows in the ground", type 4 inches along the row and 8 between rows. Three rows of 10 feet hold 90 cloves.
Source: USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
⭕
Tulips and daffodils
Pick the large bulbs option. A border 10 feet long and 3 feet wide holds 120 bulbs at Iowa State's 6 inches apart, planted 6 to 8 inches deep.
Source: Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
🔁
Crocuses and other small bulbs
Iowa State spaces small bulbs 3 inches apart and 3 to 4 inches deep. A strip 6 feet by 2 feet takes 192 of them.
Source: Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
📏
A bulb not on the list
Pick "Other bulbs", measure the bulb across its widest point and type the spacing from the package. The depth comes out at 3 to 4 times that width, Iowa State's rule for spring bulbs.
Source: Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
Where each figure comes from
Numbers this tool uses
- About 2 in deep, 6 in apartGarlic depth and spacing (Kentucky Extension)University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, October 8, 2026
- Six to eightCloves in a head (Kentucky Extension)University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, October 8, 2026
- 2 to 3 in deep, 3 to 4 in apart, rows 6 to 10 in apartGarlic in rows (Utah State Extension)USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, October 8, 2026
- 6 to 8 in deep, 6 in apartTulips and daffodils (Iowa State Extension)Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, October 8, 2026
- 3 to 4 in deep, 3 in apartCrocuses and grape hyacinths (Iowa State Extension)Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, October 8, 2026
- 3 to 4 times its widest pointAny spring bulb (Iowa State Extension)Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, October 8, 2026
Limitations
- Planning estimate, not a guarantee; the count assumes an even grid and the full bed planted to the edges.
- Depths and spacings are the extension figures for typical cloves and bulbs. If the package or the grower's sheet for your variety says something different, go by that.
- The tool counts and spaces. It doesn't say when to plant in your area; that depends on your zone and your frost dates.
What people learn the second year
Tips and tricks
- Sort before you count. Break open one head, set aside any cloves too small to bother planting, and count what's left. Type that number as your cloves per head.
- Break heads apart on planting day. Separate the cloves when you're ready to plant, not days ahead, and keep each variety in its own labeled bowl.
- Mark the rows before winter. A stake at each end of the bed saves you digging into the garlic when you plant around it in spring.
- Lay the grid out with a board. Cut a scrap board to the spacing and use it as a ruler for each hole. It's faster than a tape measure.
- Round up to full bags. Bulbs come in bags with the count printed on the label. Divide the tool's count by that number and round up.
Read before the store run
Guides that go deeper
📘 Know-howHow many garlic cloves for a bed, and how many heads or pounds to buyCount garlic cloves from bed size and spacing, then turn cloves into heads and pounds. A 4 x 8 ft bed at 6 inches takes 128 cloves, about 2.6 to 3.6 lb.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant garlic in zones 6 to 7, read from your frost dateExtension pages for zones 6 to 7 say October, mostly mid-October. See how that lines up with your first fall frost and when to go earlier or later.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant garlic in zones 3 to 5: one to two weeks after the first frostMinnesota and Wisconsin Extension say to plant garlic a week or two after the first killing frost. Find your frost date and turn it into a planting week.Read the guide 
📘 Know-howHow deep to mulch garlic in cold zones, and when to pull the mulch backExtension pages put 3 to 4 inches of straw or leaves on fall garlic. See how much a bed takes, and when to pull it back, move it or leave it in spring.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant garlic in zones 8 to 10: fall, ahead of the first frostGeorgia, Arizona, Florida and San Diego extension pages put warm-zone garlic in from late September into winter. See how that fits your first frost.Read the guide 
📘 Know-howHow many bulbs per square foot: tulips, daffodils and crocusTulips and daffodils at 6 inches apart come to 4 bulbs per square foot; crocus at 3 inches, 16. See the extension spacings and count a whole bed.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant tulip bulbs in zones 6 to 7Extension pages for zones 6 to 7 put tulips and daffodils in from late September to Thanksgiving. Match the week to your first fall frost and the cold.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant tulip bulbs in zones 3 to 5Minnesota Extension says mid-September to mid-October, near your first frost. Tulips can go in later, as long as you can still dig.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverBulbs still in the bag and the ground is about to freezePlant them now if you can still dig. Extension pages say most bulbs can go in until the ground freezes. Water, then mulch 2 to 3 inches after the freeze.Read the guide 
📘 Know-howHow many tomato plants fit in a 4 x 8 raised bedAt the extension spacing of 18 to 24 inches, a 4 x 8 ft bed takes 8 to 10 staked tomatoes in two rows, or 4 in wide cages. See the layouts and the math.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverCan you plant onions in the fall? It depends on how far south you areIn the South, yes: South Carolina plants onion sets September 15 to November 15 on the coast. Up north, bulb onions go in in spring. See each state's dates.Read the guide 
📘 Know-howPre-chilling tulip bulbs for a warm winterWarm-zone extension pages chill tulip bulbs in the fridge for 6 to 10 weeks or longer. Count back from your planting day and keep fruit out of that fridge.Read the guide 
🧰 Problem solverWhen to plant tulip bulbs in zones 8 to 10Warm-zone extension pages plant chilled tulips from Halloween to early January. See the window for your area and why planting later beats planting early.Read the guide
Common questions
Questions
How many garlic cloves can I plant in a 4x8 raised bed?
At 6 inches apart each way, as Kentucky Extension suggests, a 4 by 8 foot bed holds 128 cloves: 8 rows of 16. At Utah State's closer 4 inches in the row and 8 inches between rows, the same bed holds 144.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
How deep do you plant garlic?
About 2 inches deep with the pointed end up, says University of Kentucky Extension. Utah State Extension gives 2 to 3 inches.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
How many garlic heads do I need?
Divide the cloves by the cloves in a head. Kentucky Extension says a head has six to eight, so 128 cloves need 16 to 22 heads. Utah State says a head can hold 10 to 15 at harvest, so count a head of your own seed garlic if you can.
Source: University of Kentucky Extension, October is garlic planting time, checked October 8, 2026; USU Extension, How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, checked October 8, 2026.
How far apart should tulip bulbs be planted?
Iowa State Extension spaces tulips and daffodils 6 inches apart and plants them 6 to 8 inches deep. Crocuses and grape hyacinths go 3 inches apart and 3 to 4 inches deep.
Source: Iowa State Extension, How deep should I plant tulips?, checked October 8, 2026.
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Sources
- October is garlic planting time, University of Kentucky, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Cooperative Extension). Checked October 8, 2026.
- How deep should I plant tulips?, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden. Checked October 8, 2026.
- How to Grow Garlic in Your Garden, Utah State University Extension. Checked October 8, 2026.
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