Garlic is a well-known, entry level crop for gardeners of all experience levels. The delightful flavor and easy-going growing habit makes it a great option to delight gardeners while not exacerbating the disappointment that all gardening sometimes requires. So, if it’s great for first time gardeners, what do they really understand about growing garlic? How can we ensure that gardeners can have a successful crop and get inspired to continue to grow their own food at home? Sow True Seed is an employee-owned, open-pollinated seed company in Asheville, North Carolina. We have conducted a survey, The 2026 Sow True Seed Garlic Gardening Survey, to answer these questions, as we’ve been fielding similar questions constantly as sellers of seed garlic since 2009.

While our findings were revealing on a number of fronts, there was one fact that stood out to us in particular. Something that could dictate how new growers interact with this crop on an annual basis. While 77% of Sow True Seed’s national audience knows that garlic is best planted in the fall, only 35% of respondents say they understand how much garlic they need for their space. This leaves a huge amount of gardeners that are purchasing either too much or too little seed garlic for their gardens, leaving them either over-purchasing, or under-producing. 

TL;DR 

Our survey collected a series of interesting insights into our national audience, most of which are home growers themselves.

• 65.3%  330/505  can’t confidently say how much seed garlic they need

• 50.0%  146/292  — even among gardeners who have grown garlic more than once

• 49.5%  250/505  have never heard the phrase “seed garlic” or can’t define it

• 86.0%  437/508  already knew garlic is fall-planted — the education has landed here

• 22.4%  112/501  want planting reminders more than any other resource

Two thirds of gardeners aren’t sure how to size a seed garlic order.

This is a huge deficit in the education of our audience. We ask gardeners to purchase seed garlic every year, in units of ½ pounds, but unbeknownst to us, we’ve been selling units that they don’t understand. We want gardeners to grow garlic and be successful, but we’re asking them to fly blind in the garden. Seed garlic, are garlic bulbs sold specifically for planting that are free of disease, pests, or fungal infections. Most companies sell these bulbs in ½ pound or one-pound quantities, and have been for years, as this is the unit that makes sense to us as sellers. But it doesn’t make sense to growers. 

While 34.7% of respondents understand the quantities they’re meant to purchase, 28.1% of respondents have no idea where to start. Interestingly enough, 37.2% of respondents think they understand, but are unclear on the precise quantities in a half pound. This is a group that is confident enough to order, but not confident enough to order correctly. Gardeners that know they can do it, but could have better results with the help of their garlic sellers understanding their needs. 

Experience barely closes the gap.

So what, you ask, beginner gardeners don’t know how much garlic to purchase? That is not the whole picture. While 15.3% of respondents described themselves as “beginner” gardeners, 76.4% described themselves as “intermediate” or “experienced,” and 69.8% have grown garlic at least once before. There is an overlap between gardeners who aren’t sure what amount to purchase, but they have grown garlic before. This makes it clear; it’s a lapse in purchasing skills, not growing skills. But, knowing how much to purchase can result in higher gardener satisfaction and perhaps an extended gardening career. 

Half of gardeners can’t define “seed garlic.”

Another glaring problem? Half of gardeners can’t define seed garlic. The very thing we’re asking them to purchase. 49.5% of respondents reported that they had never heard the term or are unsure of what it means. Beyond that, a third of them are not able to explain the difference between hardneck and softneck garlic, the two major types of seed garlic most retailers sell. 

Seed garlic are garlic bulbs or cloves sold specifically for planting. Good quality seed garlic is disease free and well-stored with no damage or rot. Lots of garlic you’d find in the grocery store is sprayed with chemicals that stop it from sprouting. It is also not necessarily disease-free, making it a risk to plant in your garden that can have years of consequences. It is important to grow seed garlic in the garden instead of garlic purchased from the grocery store. Luckily, 62.6% of respondents would buy garlic sold specifically for planting while only 5% would plant grocery store garlic. But, how can gardeners purchase garlic sold specifically for planting when they don’t even recognize the phrase seed garlic? 

Hardneck garlic is a type of garlic that is particularly cold hardy and produces two crops; a garlic bulb as well as an edible scape that is harvested in spring. Softneck varieties are best for growers in mild to warm climates, especially those that struggle to grow garlic because the climate is too hot. They may find success with softneck varieties. Softneck garlic is known for its braidable foliage and long storage quality. 

Gardeners know the planting season. They don’t know their planting date.

In our attempts to determine the missing links in gardener education in regards to growing garlic, we were happy to learn that 86% of gardeners already knew that garlic is fall-planted. And, either way, gardeners want to plant garlic. Their intent was high whether they already knew or had just learned the correct planting time. 

That being said, we can’t ignore the fact that nearly half, 47.9% of respondents were less than “very confident” about when to plant garlic in their specific region. While fall is a great general guideline for when to plant garlic, the specific days or months of which to plant is variable across different USDA Plant Hardiness Zones. This indicates that while gardeners know when to plant garlic, they require more specific guidance for their growing zones in order to be confident in planting garlic.

This is what gardeners report would actually help them. 

While gardeners report understanding the big picture basics of planting garlic, they need individualized, or more specific support around planting. As a seed company that stresses gardener education, this is our biggest takeaway from this survey. 

• 22.4% of respondents want planting and harvest reminders. 

• 18% of respondents want a beginner guide

• 17.2% of respondents want a regional planting calendar

• 15.6% of respondents want a variety selector 

Each of these are helpful suggestions for us to bolster our own educational offerings. Now, something worth mentioning, the greatest concern past knowing how much seed garlic to purchase, is knowing about curing and storage. Nearly a third of respondents report having concerns about this. And that makes sense. Sometimes, you think you’re controlling all the right elements and your garlic still rots or discolors sooner than you expected. Improved guidance for gardeners across the garlic-growing process from purchasing to storage can help build confidence in decision making for garlic growers. 

What growers say changes from one season to the next.

Something else we wanted to investigate, while we were collecting data anyway, was what gardeners were noticing change in growing garlic from year to year. Climate change is only ramping up as time goes on. Gardeners and farmers often have to get smarter and more creative to fight heat waves, droughts, and floods in their gardens. Gardeners reported a range of issues in recent years: 

• 36.3% of respondents reported inconsistent or shrinking bulb sizes

• 20.2% of respondents reported increased rainfall, droughts, or intense wet-dry swings

• 12.1% of respondents reported an increase in pests 

• 10.3% of respondents reported changes in rot, mold, and diseases.

Growers mentioned that warmer autumns cause early sprouting which affects the crop by harvest time. They report that drier seasons result in smaller bulb sizes and warmer winters also produce smaller bulbs. These reports can point out the need for necessary educational resources about how to grow garlic on a warming planet. 

So how much seed garlic do you actually need?

The answer to the big question: How much seed garlic do you actually need? The answer to this question is unable to be exact. As previously reported, bulb size fluctuates from year to year depending on weather and drought conditions. Different varieties can vary in size from each other and also from year to year. That being said, here are some general rules of (green) thumb:

• One pound of seed garlic — plants roughly 20 to 25 row feet when spaced at six inches apart.

• ½ pound of seed garlic — plants roughly 10 to 12.5 row feet when spaced at six inches apart.

• Hardneck Garlic — 35 to 50 cloves per pound produces 35 to 50 bulbs. This is a four to seven pound harvest.

• Softneck — 50–70 cloves per pound produces 50 to 70 bulbs. This is a six to ten pound harvest.

For a household that requires two bulbs of garlic a week for general cooking, they need 104 bulbs a year. This will require two to three pounds of hardneck seed garlic or one to two pounds of softneck seed garlic. It also requires about 50 feet of planting row to produce. 

How this survey was conducted

This survey was fielded between Aug 27, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026 via two email campaigns sent to the Sow True Seed newsletter subscriber list. We got 516 unique respondents after deduplication. We did offer an incentive of free shipping on a future order. This survey was conducted in the United States only and was not projected to any specific population. 87.8% of respondents are existing Sow True Seed customers and 95.7% of them currently garden. The reported percentages are rounded to one decimal and may not total 100%.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is seed garlic, and how is it different from regular garlic?

Seed garlic is sold specifically for planting, rather than eating, though it can also be eaten! It is selected for size, and storage ability, and is disease-free. Grocery store garlic, sold for eating, is often treated to suppress sprouting and is not tested for diseases. 

2. How much seed garlic do I need for my garden?

The answer to this question depends on your garden’s size or how much garlic you use in a growing season. For a household that requires two bulbs of garlic a week for general cooking, they need 104 bulbs a year. This will require two to three pounds of hardneck seed garlic or one to two pounds of softneck seed garlic. It also requires about 50 feet of planting row to produce. 

3. How many cloves are in a pound of seed garlic?

Hardneck garlic has about 30 to 50 cloves per pound of seed garlic and softneck has 50 to 70 cloves per pound of seed garlic. Each clove produces one bulb of garlic. 

4. Can you plant garlic from the grocery store?

While, yes, you can plant garlic from the grocery store, it is not recommended. Grocery store garlic is often treated to suppress sprouting, which makes it hard or impossible to grow. It also is not guaranteed to be disease free. This means that one planting of grocery store garlic could result in years of consequences and the inability to grow garlic in your garden in coming years. 

5. Why is seed garlic more expensive than grocery garlic?

Seed garlic is grown, selected, tested and cured for planting rather than eating. There are a wider range of varieties to choose from that are all produced in smaller quantities than grocery store garlic. 

Conclusion

This survey helped us uncover what’s really missing from the seed garlic consumer and gardener education and understanding. In most cases, the problems at hand are vocabulary and arithmetic issues rather than growing issues. Gardeners are not unable to grow garlic - they know when and how - but they aren’t clear on how much garlic to purchase and would benefit from more personalized guidance to build confidence. 

Using the provided guidelines, gardeners can calculate how much garlic they need for their garden size or eating habits. From here, they can place their orders with a trusted seed garlic supplier. 

Our full methodology on this survey, chart pack, and key statistics are available upon request by reaching out to hannah@sowtrue.com. 

	Article Written by: Hannah Gibbons
	About the Author: Hannah Gibbons, an employee at Sow True Seed since 2020, has over a decade of experience in the agricultural industry. Their passion for environmental education and regenerative agriculture has been the cornerstone of their work, aimed at making gardening accessible to all.