If you've spent any time researching how to plant garlic, you've likely come across two pieces of advice repeated so often they've taken on the weight of gospel: plant the biggest cloves for the biggest harvest, and always plant root-side down, pointed tip up. After more than a decade of growing garlic full-time — and hundreds of thousands of cloves in the ground — we're here to offer a more nuanced perspective.
The Direction Myth
In our early years, we were meticulous about clove orientation. Every clove went into the ground root plate down, tip pointing skyward. It felt like the responsible thing to do — the "right" way to plant garlic.
Then our operation grew. We invested in a mechanical garlic planter, and suddenly the careful hand-placement of every individual clove became a thing of the past. Cloves went in at all angles — sideways, upside down, every orientation imaginable. We braced for the worst.
What we found surprised us: the garlic didn't care.
Garlic, like most plants, is remarkably good at orienting itself. The roots instinctively grow downward toward moisture and soil, while the shoot reaches upward toward light. Occasionally you'll find a slightly misshapen bulb, or a hardneck variety with a corncob-like appearance from an awkward start — but these are the exception, not the rule. The plant corrects itself. Nature has been doing this long before we came along with our planting tips.
The Clove Size Myth
The conventional wisdom here is straightforward: big clove in, big bulb out. And while there's a kernel of truth to it — larger cloves do carry more stored energy — our experience tells a more complicated story.
We've grown impressively large bulbs from some of the smallest cloves we've planted. We've also been underwhelmed by the harvest from fat, picture-perfect seed cloves. The relationship between clove size and final bulb size is real, but it's far from the dominant factor.
That said, if you're working with limited garden space, it makes good practical sense to plant your largest cloves and use the smaller ones in the kitchen. Just don't let smaller cloves go to waste — freeze any extras to keep them fresh for cooking.
What Actually Matters
After more than ten years of full-time garlic production, here's what we've found truly drives a great harvest:
- Soil health — Garlic thrives in rich, well-amended soil with good organic matter.
- Drainage — Waterlogged soil is one of the fastest ways to lose a crop. Well-drained beds are non-negotiable.
- Winter weather — Hardneck varieties need a cold vernalization period; softnecks are more forgiving. Your climate plays a major role.
- Moisture management — Consistent moisture during bulb development (spring) is critical. Too little and bulbs stay small; too much and you risk rot.
- Nutrients — A nitrogen boost in early spring encourages strong leaf growth, which directly feeds bulb size. Ease off nitrogen as summer approaches to encourage the plant to put energy into the bulb.
These are the variables that separate a good garlic harvest from a great one. Clove direction and size are, at best, minor footnotes.
Our Advice
Plant with confidence. Don't stress over which way the tip is pointing. Focus your energy on building healthy soil, choosing quality seed stock, and giving your garlic the growing conditions it needs. The garlic will handle the rest.
For more growing tips, visit our Growing Garlic guide — including our Pro Tip on selecting cloves for planting.