Why is Garlic Seed More Expensive than Culinary Garlic
Here’s why seed garlic costs more:
- Genetics: Is a specific genetic line or family of garlic; example: “Rocambole, Artichoke, Porcelain, Purple Stripe”. Garlic is primarily propagated through cloning via its cloves, not seeds, which means most garlic grown today is genetically identical to its parent bulb.
- Labor Intensive: Growers invest significant time in preparing fields with green cover crops, crop rotation to prevent garlic obtaining contamination, providing seed garlic with weed free growing environment. Proper organic fertilizing, watering, curing the picked garlic in storage facilities away from sunlight and allowing good air flow to improve on drying the garlics delicate skins. Lastly, sorting the harvested garlic bulbs to ensure the customer receives a quality product.
- Larger Garlic Bulbs: Garlic is grown to produce large bulbs which result in larger and at times fewer cloves which will lead to larger desirable garlic bulbs the following year.
- Prevention of Disease: Using disease-free seed garlic prevents soil contamination, protecting future crops and making the initial investment worthwhile.
- Quality Standard: Seed garlic is carefully selected for its size and health, with growers ensuring it’s free from diseases.
