Garlic is a crop and a member of Allium genus, onion family. Native to Central Asia, it produces scores of small bulbs instead of one large bulb like onion. Each clove has a thin white skin and contains dozens or even more cloves. It is an indispensable kitchen’s item and is largely used as a flavoring agent in tomato sauces, pickles, salad dressings, bread and stews. Before discussing important details about types, planting, irrigation and Organic Garlic Suppliers in Argentina, let us take a closer look on some astonishing facts about it.
Fast Facts on Garlic
It is a herb that proves to be extremely beneficial in fighting against cancer, diabetes, infections and many heart diseases.
It encompasses scores of trace minerals including copper, magnesium and iron. It is a rich source of sulphur compounds, amino acids, vitamin A and C.
Garlic has over 450 varieties and all varieties are members of the Lily family.
Fresh garlic remains odour-free till the time it is crushed.
Garlic stays fresh for one week or more without refrigeration also. Even if it needs to be refrigerated, look for a cool and dark place and store it in an unpeeled manner, away from other food items.
During World War I and II, It was popularly used as a wound antiseptic and successful cure for treating people with infections.
Different Types of Garlic
Those unaware, two sub species of Garlic are hardneck and softneck. Softneck varieties produce a flexible stalk and rarely produce a seed stalk. This variety tends to perform better in cool climatic conditions and is more productive than the counterpart. They have a longer life span and last till 6-8 months when stored properly.
Hardneck varieties have a stiff stalk with a smaller shelf life for storage. This garlic variety produces 4-12 cloves per bulb and requires warm climate for growing. Based on flavor profile and clove formation, both these varieties are further divided into different categories. Some of the popular varieties of softneck are Artichoke and Silverskin. The popular hardneck varieties are Purple Stripe, Rocambole and Porcelain. Organic garlic distributors in Argentina are known for keeping and supplying all varieties of garlic to end users.
Planting of Garlic
Being a perennial plant, the garlic demands cold climatic conditions for initiating the growth. It is important to note that garlic needs plantation at the right time and at the right depth also. If the herb is planted not deep enough or too early, chances remain high that it will not developed adequately and may prone to winter injury. Based on the spacing used and weight of individual cloves, planting material of garlic may vary from 700 to 1000 kg/ha. The cloves of large-bulbed strains need to grow with the spacing of 12 cm whereas the small-bulbed strains need minimum spacing of 7 cm.
Soil Preparation
The garlic grows successfully on soils having high organic matter content. It is because organic soil is rich in moisture, has better nutrient holding capacity and less prone to compaction and crusting. When garlic is grown on light sandy soils, it is necessary to put in intensive soil management practices to reduce the impact of low moisture-holding capacity. In addition to this, it is necessary to grow garlic in such fields that provide adequate protection against the wind. The herb even responds well on fertile soil rich in nitrogen content. A word of caution is to avoid planting garlic in areas prone to heavy frost.
Irrigation
During the growing season, most of the garlic crops require 2.5cm of water every week. If the crop is grown in sandy soils, irrigate it with more water, say 5.0 cm or more in case of hot and humid weather conditions. The best time to irrigate the field is either during the morning or during mid-afternoon so that the plant’s foliage dry successfully before the night time. Do not irrigate the field once it becomes mature and in ready-to-harvest condition.
Storage
At a room temperature, the hardneck variety is easy to store up to 4 months whereas the softneck variety looks good even if store for 8 months.
Argentina is one of the major exporters of Garlic around the world. So, if you are looking for premium quality of garlic, look for organic garlic suppliers and distributors in Argentina and place your order via them. It is beneficial to purchase garlic in the bulk quantity from distributors and suppliers of Argentina as they offer quality produce at cost-effective rates.