Once available in supermarket stores, organic garlic is now easily available at most grocery stores in Argentina. Due to an increase in awareness about the benefits of eating organic products, new-age millennials are reading labels before purchasing any food products. Even if they purchase organic garlic from suppliers in Argentina, they do not forget to read the labels and other important information. Before moving further, let’s take a quick look at organic farming.
Organic Farming- A Brief Overview
Different kinds of food products ranging from grains, vegetables, dairy products and fruits are easy to grow with modern farming practices. These farming practices are labeled as organic farming and have the following features:
Contains fewer or no pesticides, chemicals or added preservatives.
Aims at improving water and soil quality
No usage of growth hormones or antibiotics for farm animals
No addition of artificial fertilizers in the soil
So, if you are consuming garlic produced from traditional farming practices, you are consuming pesticide-laden food products. In such situations, do you think that eating chemical-laden food will provide any nutrition to the body? The answer is not a hard nut to crack. Conversely, purchasing it from an Organic garlic supplier in Argentina will provide the following health benefits:
It helps in reducing blood pressure levels.
It reduces inflammation caused due to chronic diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
It aids in reducing cholesterol levels.
It results in supporting the immune function of the body.
It reduces blood clotting.
It helps in providing scores of antioxidants to the body.
Last but not the least, it makes food tasty as well.
So, if you want to eat nutritious food items, switch to organic garlic. And if you can grow garlic in a small garden, you need not depend upon organic garlic suppliers in Argentina. Simply produce them and eat as and when required. And believe this, garlic is an easy crop to grow in the garden as pests do not affect its production on a large scale. If you have no idea how to grow organic garlic, keep reading it further.
Types of Garlic
This crop is divided into two categories: softneck or artichoke garlic and hardneck and topset garlic. The hardneck variety produces elongated bulbils and flower stalks. It may have purple striped, purple or white striped. Some of the most popular varieties of hardneck garlic found in Mexico and South America are Roja, Valencia, Creole, etc.
The softneck variety of garlic is easy to differentiate into few-cloved or many-cloved varieties. This kind of variety is available in all white, tan or purple tingled. The popular varieties are early purple wight, solent wight, early Italian purple garlic, etc.
Site Selection
Right site selection to grow organic garlic is one of the most crucial factors. Garlic gives the best results when grown in well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.0-6.5. Growing it in stony soils or heavy clay results in bad-shaped or misshapen garlic bulbs.
Best Time to Plant
Garlic requires a minimum time of six months to mature. So, if you plant it in early spring, it will not get much time to grow. Thus, plant it during the autumn season i.e. from late September to November regardless of the variety you are choosing. You can purchase high-quality and organic cloves of garlic from suppliers in Argentina to grow it in your backyard or garden. After plating them, take care of the following factors:
It will arrive in bulbs, so do not separate any clove from bulbs until it is required.
If you are willing to plant the clove again, take individual cloves from the bulbs and plant it directly in the soil. While planting an individual clove, ensure that it contains the original bulbs’ base attached to it.
Prefer planting cloves in modules if your garden becomes wet during the winter season.
Keep watering the cloves and place them in a sunny area of the garden. In case, you have planted into modules, do remember to keep the soil moist.
You will experience that green shoots sprout quickly i.e. in just a few weeks.
Harvesting Garlic
If you have planted any variety of garlic in late September, then it is ready to harvest by late June or early July. While harvesting them, follow these important tips:
The yellowish appearance of the bottom leaves of the plant is a tell-tale sign of harvesting garlic. In the last month of growing i.e. from June, do not water the plant too much.
Dig them up when 1/3 bottom of the leaves turn yellow.
Choose a dry day to pull the garlic up. Use a garden fork and do not wash them with water before pulling the crop as it may spoil the bulb.
Keep them on a dry surface and allow them to completely dry out – both bulbs and greens.
When it becomes bone-dry, braid the garlic by snipping off the dried foliage. After this put garlic in a paper or cloth bag for safe storage.
Use your fingers to remove dirt present on the skin and roots of the garlic.
Last but not the least, use your harvested garlic cloves to grow the crop in the next year. In this manner, you can continue growing it year-on-year basis without making any additional expenses.
Insects & Diseases
Some of the diseases that affect garlic crops are basal rot, white rot and occasionally botrytis. Try taking specific insect management recommendations from organic garlic suppliers in Argentina or from local farms to safeguard your produce. You can even consult them before using any herbicides.
One important point necessary to disclose is garlic does not thrive in the presence of weeds. Therefore, grow garlic only after removing weeds from the soil or planting beds.
In case, you are interested in purchasing organic garlic from a reputed supplier in Argentina, feel free to contact Pampastore. We meet both the retail and industrial requirements of customers at affordable rates.