The point about sunshine is important for me, and I hadn't thought about shading inside the bed. In a "normal" year we don't get that much sunshine, but in a bad year like this one we really were short of sunshine, even in beds that got full sun. That is probably the reason for poor yield at different locations and spacing across the board - except for the Spanish Roja which really needs more sun than we get. They sized up really poorly for me (spacing was 6 X 8 iirc) and the same problem at the farm, but our friend N. did okay... I will check with her about the spacing. Maybe in a marginal year like this one, more generous spacing is key for the most sun-needy varieties. Linda, your idea of staggering is a good one too.
OTOH I haven't noticed any obvious effect of shading within the bed - you would expect smaller bulbs on the inside or wherever there is less direct sun compared to the outside rows.
If there is an effect, it was not enough for me to notice, but then I wasn't thinking about it.... I will pay closer attention in future.
I did try equidistant, I think it was 5X5", two years ago for the small cloves growing up. They didn't size up as much as I hoped, and there is a problem with trees shading those beds. I'm looking for someone to cut those trees within the week, but if I can't get anyone I won't plant garlic there, I will focus on making another raised bed in a sunnier place.
The second bed that I'm working on now is in full sun, and it's for smaller cloves that are growing up from bulbils - I will keep the rows 8 inches/20 cm apart and consider closer spacing inside the row, depending on size. I just marked the rows so that they run S to N, thinking that is the best way for sun to shine in.
