To increase garlic yields, studies have shown that the larger the clove of garlic you plant, the larger the head you harvest. Also, the size of the head is directly proportional to the amount of leaf. Garlic is started by planting cloves that are divisions of the large bulb. Plant the cloves three to five inches apart in an upright position, and cover them to a depth of about one inch. To plant garlic, divide heads into individual cloves and plant the largest.
Larger cloves yield larger size mature bulbs at harvest.
Space these five or six inches apart, and cover them to a depth of about one inch. Allow 12 to 24 inches between rows. Garlic grows well in a wide row system of planting, spacing cloves three to four inches apart in rows a foot wide. In addition to fertilizing the soil at planting time, you should sidedress the young garlic plants when the new growth is six inches high. Garlic will be ready to harvest in May or early June as the tops begin to dry.