Average yield

Garlic is a crop that is popular all over the world. It has not only piquant taste data, but also medicinal properties that have been used in traditional medicine for many years. The quality of the crop depends largely on the variety of crops.

1. Spring varieties planted in spring produce dense, small heads with straight, slightly pointed teeth. Shelf life is about 12 months.
2. The fruits of winter garlic planted in autumn are much larger than spring ones. The teeth are even, beautiful with a spicy spicy taste. Shelf life is from 3 to 9 months, depending on the variety.

The yield of garlic from 1 weave is from 100 to 500 kg. It all depends on the place of cultivation, variety and conditions. The average yield of garlic per 1 hectare is from 10 to 50 tons. To get a good harvest, you need to follow the rules of cultivation, crop rotation and provide the necessary care to root crops.

cultivation

Growing garlic is a complex process in which it is important to take into account all the nuances of the variety and the climatic conditions of your region. The largest yields are observed in Ukraine on fertile black earth soils. In Russia, when growing garlic, it must be taken into account that this crop adapts to climatic conditions for a rather long time. When planting a new variety, you need to understand that a good harvest can only be obtained for 3 years, when the culture is fully adapted, therefore it is recommended to use zoned varieties, especially in the northern regions of Russia.

You should choose a good site for growing crops. Garlic is a light-loving plant, so for planting a winter or spring variety, you need to choose a well-lit open area. Lands with a close occurrence of groundwater are completely unsuitable for growing these root crops. The culture grows well in open ground, so the construction of a greenhouse will be an unnecessary waste of effort, money and time. 1 acre will be enough.

Soil preparation

It is very important to observe crop rotation on the site. Root crops should not be planted for several years in a row in one place. You can return the culture to its original place after 3 years. The precursors of garlic culture can be such plants:

• cucumbers;
• zucchini;
• legumes;
• cabbage.

Root crops should not be planted after nightshade crops. These include potatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants. Soil fertilization for winter garlic is carried out before planting the previous crop. For summer varieties, dressing is usually carried out in the fall.

For heavy soils, it is recommended to add 1 bucket of sand and peat per 1 m2. Plants respond well to nitrogen fertilization. It is not recommended to apply manure immediately before planting. A good harvest of garlic can be obtained on sandy and loamy soils. The yield of garlic from 1 weave in such areas is 450-500 kg.

planting material

The choice and preparation of planting material has a huge impact on yield. Root crops can reproduce:

• teeth;
• heads;
• seeds.

The preparation of seed material begins at the stage of harvesting. Only the largest specimens should be selected, without visible mechanical damage. The larger the root crops for planting, the better the harvest will be. Increasingly, farmers prefer such planting material as single-tooth. Such seed is equally well suited for manual and mechanized planting, while cloves are only suitable for manual planting.

A single-tooth takes roots exactly along the entire perimeter of the bottom, and the roots of a clove appear only from the blunt end. Whatever the planting material, it must be disinfected before planting. For this use:

• saline solution;
• alkaline solution;
• potassium permanganate solution.

After processing, the heads are dried. You need to brush your teeth immediately before planting. Single teeth are not cleaned at all.

Agrotechnical adaptations and planting

The secret of a good harvest lies in the right choice of planting equipment. In a small cottage, you can process the site manually. To cultivate a garden of 1 ha, you will already need specialized agricultural equipment. This includes tractors with mounted structures for tillage and sowing or a walk-behind tractor.

Planting winter garlic is carried out 30-40 days before the onset of persistent cold weather. This period is from the end of September to the middle of October. Summer varieties are planted in April. Root crops, regardless of the variety, are planted in furrows. The distance between rows should be 25-30 cm.

Planting material is laid out at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, slightly deepening into the soil. When planting winter garlic, after filling the furrows with soil, you should immediately mulch the soil with sawdust or humus. If the winters in the region are snowy, you can do without mulching.

Care

It is possible to significantly increase the yield by carrying out proper care of the plants. When the first shoots appear, they begin to feed with urea. When growing winter varieties, fertilizers are applied to the soil that has not yet been warmed up. After 2-3 weeks, mineral supplements are added. When 5-6 leaves appear, phosphorus and potassium are added.

Root crops love abundant watering. During the active growing season, plantings are watered 3-4 times a month. Plants should be watered 2-3 weeks before harvest. It is very important to take care of it properly. It needs to be loosened regularly so that the root system receives enough oxygen. In order for the garlic heads to grow larger, you need to shorten the arrows on the plants by at least 15-20 cm.

Harvesting and storage

Planting and care is only half the battle, you still need to properly remove the root crops in order to be able to save the seed for next year. Dates depend on the weather in the region. Usually, winter varieties are dug in early August, and summer varieties in September. A sure sign that it's time to harvest root crops is the yellowing of the tops. In small areas, you can harvest vegetables manually, in areas of 1 hectare it is better to use a mechanized harvesting method.

The next step is treatment. To do this, the root crops are left in the sun for several days so that they dry thoroughly. After that, they are put under a canopy for 15-20 days and stored at a temperature of 25℃. After that, you need to cut the tops. The leaves are not cut completely, leaving a tail of 3-5 cm.

How long your garlic crop will be stored depends on the variety and compliance with the rules. Throughout the winter period, it is necessary to sort out root crops, discard rotten and empty heads. Seed should be stored separately. It is recommended to put it in boxes and sprinkle with salt or ash.

Final part

How much root crops you collect from 1 hectare of your site will depend on several factors:

• soil composition;
• climatic conditions;
• proper cultivation and care;
• correct storage of planting material.

The average yield per 1 hectare on chernozems is 45 tons, on heavy soils, subject to all the rules of agricultural technology, it is 10 tons per 1 ha. To improve the quality of the soil will help the introduction of peat and sand.

To grow a rich harvest, you need to choose the right crop for growing in your area because these root crops have a rather long adaptation period, at least 2 years. The culture responds well to regular fertilizing, abundant watering and loosening. To grow large heads, you need to cut the arrows by 15-20 cm in time.

When growing winter varieties, the soil must be mulched to protect plantings from freezing. Garlic is considered the most fertile and unpretentious culture. It is grown all over the world.

If we analyze the current world situation, the economic crisis, the decline in the solvency of citizens in the country, we can conclude that agriculture has become an extremely promising area for creating your own business. And, if we take into account that a very small number of farmers are engaged in some plants, then it is possible to enter the segment of the market where competition is minimal. Garlic can be called such a plant, since vegetable growers are not in a hurry to grow it. There are several reasons for this, but the simplest is the expectation of low demand. Indeed, garlic is consumed in much smaller quantities than even the same onion. But despite this, garlic is a fairly sought-after product and you can make quite good money growing it if you know how to properly organize a garlic growing business and find distribution channels. We will talk about this in this article.

Garlic - general characteristics

Mankind cultivates the species Állium satívum for human consumption, which is the well-known garlic. It is a close relative of another well-known plant - the onion. Many people do not eat these two plants precisely because of their specific taste and smell, but nevertheless, garlic and onions are simply required as part of many dishes. However, garlic is also often used as a condiment.

Garlic has a unique chemical composition: it contains more than 26% carbohydrates, 6.5% protein, up to 20 mg of ascorbic acid, as well as arsenic compounds that have medicinal properties when raw garlic is consumed. Garlic also has a strong antiseptic effect, which is why garlic is often used in medicine. Therefore, if you are not limited only to the search for buyers in the market, then you can sell large volumes of your goods in a fairly short time.

Young leaves and cloves are used for food. Garlic is used in salting and marinating vegetables, mushrooms, sauces, as well as in cooking in many cuisines of the world.

In our country, garlic is grown almost throughout the territory, but, unfortunately, mainly in household plots. Recently, there has been a tendency to increase industrial space and the entry of large players into this business.

Prospects for the "garlic" business

It should be noted that the competition in this direction in the market is low. The main competitor can be considered cheap Chinese garlic, but its specificity is such that it contains much less essential oils.

Domestic farmers are not too willing to grow this crop for a number of reasons, the main of which is the difficulty of mechanization. In other words, growing garlic on large areas is quite difficult and not very profitable, but for a small farm, when the area is measured in tens of acres, and not hectares, growing garlic can become a very profitable business.

If you think it over well, then growing garlic can bring quite a lot of income.

What are the main difficulties of the garlic growing business

And the main problem is that garlic is a biennial plant, which causes some difficulties. In particular, if we reproduce the natural turnover, then instead of two points familiar to other plants (seeds-fruits), we get three (seeds - sevok - fruit), in which we get the result only in the second year.

However, there is an option in which a full-fledged harvest can be obtained in a year, while everything is much simpler. In this case, a clove is planted - “A clove of garlic. But there is another problem here - with this method of cultivation, garlic degenerates in 3-4 seasons (and sometimes much earlier), and the yield drops sharply. This means that such a method cannot be taken as a basis. Another problem is that plant diseases are transmitted with this method of cultivation. The result is a lot of greens, and there are practically no garlic bulbs. Thus, periodically you have to return to a two-year growing cycle in order to again get the "first generation" of garlic. And not a single large farm wants to deal with such trouble on an industrial scale - unless it has other business options. We will talk more about the options for growing garlic below.

Legal Issues

If you have firmly decided to organize your own business on the cultivation and sale of garlic, then you need to legalize your activity, that is, register as a business entity.

This is necessary so that in the future there will be no unpleasant nuances and unnecessary attention from various regulatory authorities, as well as for comfortable cooperation with suppliers and wholesale buyers of garlic.

In this case, the form of a farm is optimally suited, although if you register as an individual entrepreneur, then it is quite possible to run your own business in this way. If you wish, you can even contact specialized companies that are engaged in the registration of new entrepreneurs, but they will require money for this, sometimes a lot.

Although, at first, you can not register at all, but simply grow garlic on a small plot and sell it on the market. But, if you plan to reach high turnovers, then registration of entrepreneurial activity is necessary, since most organizations simply do not want to cooperate with you.

How to grow garlic for sale

When legal issues are resolved, you can move on to finding a site for sowing crops.

At first, garlic does not need to allocate too much space, a plot of up to 1 hectare will suffice. But for the industrial cultivation of this crop, about 5 hectares of land may be needed.

Already at this stage, it is important to decide what form of garlic will be grown: winter garlic loves sandy soils, but ardent - light loamy.

Growing both types of garlic has its advantages:

• Winter garlic is more difficult to grow, because the crop, given that it waits out the winter, is more likely to die, and it produces a crop until the time when the price of garlic on the market is minimal. But at the same time, the yield of such garlic is slightly higher than that of spring. Winter varieties are mainly used in processing, catering and supermarket sales.
• Spring garlic, in turn, is beneficial in that it is harvested just in time for winter, when the cost of garlic is highest. Spring varieties of garlic are stored much better, but they have smaller cloves.

But it should be noted that with proper storage, garlic bulbs can be stored for a long time, which allows you to delay the sale until the right moment.

The next step is to decide how exactly the garlic will be grown. Depending on the variety, this plant can grow from seeds or from cloves. If you plant garlic cloves, then the harvest can be obtained within a year, that is, after the growing season of the plant. But in this case, the plant will already be old, which means that over time, the yield will only decrease. And this method leads to the fact that specific pathogens accumulate in the soil that harm garlic. This method is suitable if you get a garlic crop within one year.

Otherwise, it is better to use sowing. As a result, young plants will grow that are more resistant to external influences, which give a good harvest, and which need much less for planting. This method is chosen if garlic is planned to be cultivated for a long time, because it is a perennial plant. However, experienced agronomists note that it is best to grow winter garlic using this method.

For the cultivation of spring varieties of garlic, the cultivation of sevka is practiced. This is a germinated seed, which is a single-tooth bulb. It is planted in the same way as ordinary slices, but in this case the plants are more stable.

But, the best option for doing business would be to grow garlic, while simultaneously providing yourself with a replacement "seed fund", allocating for this a small part of the land on which onion sets will be grown. It is this type of cultivation that can be considered optimal, in which case you do not run the risk of facing the problem of degeneration.

So, for the first time we plant exactly the “chub”, having decided in advance on the site on which we will grow our “gene pool”. Winter garlic gives the greatest yield, but there is more risk with it, so we will focus on the more familiar spring garlic. Moreover, thanks to good storage, there is no need to urgently sell it in the fall, when there is a lot of it on sale.

They usually plant it “in a row”, the distance in a row should be from 5 to 10 centimeters, the row spacing is usually 45 cm. The planting depth depends on the type of soil, but in general it can be taken as 6-7 centimeters. Spring varieties are planted in early spring, when the soil warms up to 5 degrees, the growing season (depending on the variety) is from 90 to 110 days. Further care is quite standard - loosening and weed control.

The next important period is when the “arrows” appear (from which the seeds will come out). Naturally, the arrows are not touched on the “seed” site, but on other plants they are removed manually.

Garlic seeds (“bulbs” - air bulbs on arrows) are removed, dried, sorted. Then they are sown to obtain "sivk", from which we will later receive a new "first generation" of garlic.

In order to start making profit from garlic on an industrial scale, you must first understand that garlic is rather a good addition to any main activity, or a crop for parallel cultivation, since it is quite difficult to make money from garlic alone. In this regard, this crop is grown in diversified farms, where it occupies a plot for several years, and although not so actively, it still participates in crop rotation. Good predecessors for garlic include green manure crops, legumes, cabbage and some pumpkins, except for cucumber. It is better not to plant garlic after closely related plants, that is, the amaryllis family (the most common crop is onions), as well as carrots.

Planting garlic begins at different times depending on the region, but the further south, the later the sowing begins; and this applies to both spring and winter forms.

Garlic prefers organic fertilizer, but you still have to add inorganic. In case of increased acidity of the soil, it must first be subjected to liming. The soil should be moist, because garlic is a moisture-loving plant. Subsequently, the soil under the garlic should not only be fertilized, but also moderately moistened. The sevok itself or the seeds must be placed at a considerable depth in the soil, otherwise the plants may freeze - this applies primarily to winter garlic. Phosphorus and potassium are introduced into the soil immediately, but nitrogen should be added later, in the spring.

Garlic has a fairly large number of pests that can significantly reduce the yield of this plant. At the same time, garlic has both common diseases that are found in all representatives of the bulbous genus, and is resistant to some of them. Not only growing plants can be affected, but also harvested stems, this applies to bacterial rot, which also occurs in onions. But Fusarium is recognized as the most dangerous disease, which in some years can destroy more than half of the entire crop. This is a fungal disease that not only harms the culture, but also dangerous to the health of animals and people.

From insects, garlic was chosen by mites, with which farmers fight almost always, as well as onion flies. Moreover, the definition of "onion flies" refers to several types of different families, so you need to study all possible pests in your region in order to more effectively deal with them. They destroy insects with the help of pesticides and pesticides, while today there are modern drugs that can effectively fight pests, but do not accumulate and do not destroy plants.

It is more difficult to determine if the garlic is ripe and ready to be harvested. Some types of garlic should develop well inflorescences with seeds, this is easy to determine by the yellowing of the leaves. In this case, the plants are collected, but not only the bulbs are stored, but also the inflorescences themselves to obtain a seed fund.

Storage of garlic

Another important factor when it comes to growing garlic for sale is storage. Usually the order is this - after digging the garlic is left for two days in a field under the sun. During this time, the stems and leaves will dry out, and the nutrients from them will pass into the teeth. In addition, direct sunlight is a good preventive measure against a number of diseases and ticks.

If the weather is bad, then the garlic is immediately taken from the field and dried in a well-ventilated area for up to 10 days. After that, the leaves are cut (leaving about 3 cm of the neck of the bulb) and the roots (leaving about 3 mm). Then the garlic in this form is stored in the cold (not in the freezer, but in a cool place where the temperature does not rise above +3, but does not fall below -1 degrees) with good air circulation. Under such conditions, it can be stored for up to a year, and the loss will not exceed 4%. Although at first it can be stored at temperatures up to +10 degrees.

If the room has been properly treated, then the plants will not rot and be strongly affected by pests.

As mentioned above, garlic can be stored for up to several months, which makes it possible to sell it at the right time. But the most valuable, of course, is a fresh, only harvested plant.

Organizational issues of garlic business

To properly care for the plant, you need to have the appropriate equipment. In any diversified farm, apparently, there is already a universal technique, which includes a tractor with a plow and a trailer.

You will also need a cultivator and a mini tractor. But for a tractor, it is advisable to buy a special garlic seeder, which is configured in such a way as to optimally plant seeds in the ground.

In addition, for large areas, a specialized garlic harvester is needed. It is quite expensive, so it makes sense to either rent this equipment or lease such equipment. But such a combine will have many functions that will allow you to get almost sorted and selected garlic at the output. That is, there are certainly advantages to using such equipment, but if a decision was made to purchase such expensive equipment, then you can think about buying a special garlic processing line. Thanks to this, it will be possible to receive a ready-made product, which can also be sold at a much higher price.

To provide manual work, it is best to contact the nearest village or village, where there are many free hands. For an optimal fee, you can hire a random number of workers, and for the duration of any hard work, you can attract third-party forces.

How much to spend and how much you can earn on garlic

Now you need to decide on the cost of seed. Agronomists note that the use of sets or cloves is sometimes very unprofitable, because a large amount of planting material has to be purchased. Rather, it is the mass of this material that will be large. It is more profitable to use seeds that are not much more expensive than the sets, but you need them (seeds) much less. So, cloves need about one and a half tons per hectare, while seeds will only need 20 kilograms per hectare.

The yield per hectare is on average 15 tons of the bulbs themselves. However, some varieties give significantly more yield. The cost of seeds is an average of 50 UAH per kilogram, and for sowing you need no more than 5 thousand hryvnia. At the cost of a kilogram of cloves at 25 UAH. per kilogram, you need 185 thousand hryvnia to provide yourself with a future harvest.

From this it becomes clear that sevok should be used only if it is planned to get a very good harvest from it. If we take into account that 75 tons of crops were harvested (out of five available hectares), then at an average wholesale price of the same 20 UAH. for one kilogram you can get 1.5 million hryvnia. Thus, the first harvest can even fully cover the cost of purchased equipment.

To whom to sell garlic

You can sell garlic, in fact, to very poor enterprises. First of all, you should contact those organizations that are engaged in processing or food products. As a spice and flavor enhancer, garlic is in demand in many food factories. It is best to start looking for future buyers right away, which will save time and money after the crop is harvested.

Garlic can also be sold to resellers, who will take a large batch together and give a significant amount of money for one contract, but their price per kilogram will be very small.

You can engage in wholesale sales with many partners, selling grown products at a slightly higher price, but in smaller batches.

You can also join a cooperative, where it is easy to sell grown plants.

But it is most profitable to engage in retail sales yourself, because in the market the price of one kilogram of garlic in the cold season can reach 80 UAH. But there is a risk of not selling anything at all or selling too little to recoup the costs.

And, finally, if the products turned out to be of very high quality and have a good presentation, then you can engage in export sales, since Ukrainian products, in particular garlic, are of interest to consumers on the world market. But it is better to combine different ways of selling grown garlic, selling as large lots as possible to resellers and independently trading garlic on the market - this will reduce the risks of not selling anything and increase profits.

A profitable solution in the presence of land is the cultivation of garlic as a business. Food culture is highly valued and is popular among consumers. At the same time, there is a demand for garlic throughout the year, and the peak of sales falls on the canning season. The process of growing a crop does not require serious investments and the availability of special equipment. The business is ideal for beginners and those who want to receive a quick and stable income.

Choice of garlic: popular varieties

Today, farmers prefer winter and spring garlic. At the same time, the first is more in demand and has a large number of advantages:

• high yield;
• resistance to low temperatures;
• unpretentiousness to climate and soil;
• economic benefit.

Anyone can start growing garlic for sale at home, even without experience and knowledge. It is enough to have a free site and desire. The variety of winter garlic is determined depending on the weather conditions of the region where the planting will take place. The most common are:

• Lyubasha. Easily tolerates frost and dryness. Can be stored up to 10 months without loss of quality. The average weight of the bulb is 80-120 grams.

• Ukrainian white and purple. Two varieties, the weight of the bulbs of which is 60-140 grams. Varieties do not shoot, give a good harvest of about 200 kg from 1 acre of land. Suitable for long term storage.

• Saved. Possesses high keeping quality and productivity. Bulb weight 60-100 grams.

• Messidor. Dutch variety of winter garlic. The collection is up to 25 tons per 1 ha.

• Gulliver. A mid-late representative of garlic varieties, the bulb weight of which is about 100 grams. Gives good seedlings, stored for a long time.

• Benefit. One of the best varieties of garlic, bred in Romania. The culture perfectly tolerates frosts and is not whimsical to weather conditions. It has a high yield, does not get sick and adapts easily.

Which of the proposed varieties to choose, you decide. In some regions, large bulbs with a delicate aroma are preferred, in others small and sharp. It is worth being guided by demand at the place of sale, as well as available capital.

planting material

High-quality seed material is the key to a good harvest. Since the culture is very susceptible to degeneration, it is almost unsuitable for planting on an industrial scale. However, as a home business, with careful selection of bulbs, a good income can be obtained.

• Bulbs. Their second name is air bulbs. Suitable for planting in a season: in the first, the bulb is germinated from the cloves, in the second - a full-fledged garlic.

• Single tooth. It sprouts from an air bulb and is the best planting material. Sevok allows you to get garlic with a large head and a large number of cloves.

• Zubok. Obtained from a mature bulb. Refers to the first reproduction. Serves as a good seed.

It is best to use seed obtained independently. Buying through intermediaries, the probability of getting a good harvest is significantly reduced. Therefore, after harvesting garlic, you should always leave the bulb or clove for further planting.

Cultivation: from planting to harvest

You can create a garlic business on your own by carefully preparing the garden and following all the steps. The winter crop variety prefers soil with sandy particles, which is prepared 1-2 weeks before planting. Planting depth is chosen based on the size of the teeth. At least 5 cm should remain to the soil surface. Otherwise, the crop may freeze.

Read also: Agricultural business: ideas

Subtleties of crop rotation

It is best to sow garlic after cabbage, greens, legumes or pumpkin. It is not recommended to use the beds on which potatoes, tomatoes, onions were previously harvested. Sowing on fresh manure also negatively affects the yield. The place for growing winter garlic should be protected from wind and melt water.

Fertilizer

To get a rich harvest, the soil must be well fertilized. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers cope with their task. In the spring, when the first sprouts appear, fertilize with nitrogen. A mixture of micronutrients or soaking teeth in solutions with microelements has a positive effect. So, Rostock fertilizer allows you to increase germination up to two times, and the yield by 20%.

Landing dates

Landing in the western and southern regions is carried out at the end of October. In the northern and eastern regions, winter garlic is planted in mid-September, and in the central regions - in late September or early October. Additionally, soil temperature will help determine the timing of planting. The optimal value is 10-12 degrees.

Cleaning

The harvesting procedure is carried out in dry sunny weather. The lower leaves of the culture should be dry and yellow. After harvesting, the garlic must be dried in the sun. After the culture is sorted: they are cleaned from the ground, the roots are cut, rot and damaged bulbs are removed, the stem is shortened by 1-2 cm.

Sales channels

The advantages of this business for farmers are:

• high profitability of garlic cultivation;
• minimum cash investment;
• high demand for products.

For 1 kg of goods, you can earn up to 150 rubles at retail. Dealers estimate garlic at a lower cost, but are ready to immediately buy large volumes.

It is possible to sell the garlic crop not only to retailers and wholesalers. Potential clients are:

• vegetable shops;
• supermarkets;
• restaurants and cafes;
• canning factories;
• catering establishments.

By concluding a supply contract with a suitable company, you can solve the problem of selling winter garlic forever. Resellers take all the risks for the further sale of products, and you get a clean and regular profit.