Basaltic Farms, a triple-certified organic garlic farm in Northern California, publishes a comprehensive seed garlic planting calculator for commercial farms and bulk buyers ahead of its March presale opening.
-- McARTHUR, Calif. — Basaltic Farms, one of the leading certified organic seed garlic suppliers in the United States, has released a comprehensive garlic planting guide designed to help bulk buyers and garlic farms accurately calculate seed garlic quantities before the farm's annual presale opens in early March.
The guide addresses a critical planning challenge that costs commercial garlic growers thousands of dollars annually — ordering either too much or too little seed garlic before planting season begins. With popular varieties selling out within weeks of the presale opening, accurate ordering calculations have become essential for commercial operations that need to secure large seed quantities early.
"I didn't have any idea what I was doing when we first started calculating seed for a full acre," said Zack Schallert, CEO and Lead Grower at Basaltic Farms. "We made mistakes and made more mistakes and even more mistakes before we finally figured out a system that actually works. I just want to save other growers some of that headache."
Commercial Seed Garlic Calculations
The guide provides step-by-step formulas for calculating plants per acre based on equipment constraints, bed configuration, and within-row spacing. At standard commercial spacing with three rows per bed, growers can expect approximately 94,000 plants per acre. Tighter spacing pushes that number toward 140,000, while wider spacing drops to roughly 47,000 plants per acre.
Seed garlic quantities per pound vary dramatically by variety — a variable that Schallert identified as the single biggest factor commercial buyers underestimate. Large hardneck varieties like Music yield 24 to 42 plantable cloves per pound. Smaller hardneck varieties like Chesnok Red yield closer to 100 cloves per pound. Softneck artichoke varieties produce 96 to 240 cloves per pound, making them significantly more cost-effective for large-scale planting.
"It's like ordering lumber for a house without knowing the dimensions — you're just guessing and hoping it works out," Schallert explained. "The variety you choose changes everything. A grower ordering Music seed needs three to four times more pounds than someone ordering Inchelium Red for the same acre. That's thousands of dollars difference on a single variety decision."
Equipment Limitations Drive Spacing Decisions
The guide emphasizes that commercial garlic spacing is determined by machinery rather than agronomic preference alone. Tractor wheelbase dictates bed width. Implement width determines row count per bed. Mechanical weeding clearance sets minimum within-row spacing.
"I didn't think about the weeder width enough those first years and we ended up with the fingers hitting garlic leaves and causing real damage," Schallert noted. "We had to stop mechanical weeding way earlier than we should've and ended up doing a lot more hand weeding, which is not cheap."
Basaltic Farms is recognized among the top organic garlic farms in the USA for openly sharing the kind of practical, hard-earned growing knowledge that only comes from years of commercial production in challenging conditions.
Presale Timeline and Ordering
Basaltic Farms opens seed garlic presales at the beginning of March each year. Seed garlic ships at the end of August through early September after proper curing. The presale operates on a first-come, first-served basis, with bulk buyers encouraged to place orders early to secure the larger seed sizes that produce the best commercial harvests. The farm offers bulk quantities from 100 to 2,000-plus pounds with built-in volume discounts.
Basaltic Farms currently grows nine certified organic garlic varieties in volcanic soil containing 67 trace minerals at 3,100 feet elevation. Hardneck varieties including Music, Chesnok Red, and Spanish Roja offer complex flavor profiles and produce harvestable scapes. Softneck varieties including Inchelium Red and Susanville provide longer storage life and higher clove counts per pound of seed purchased.
Year-Round Product Availability
While seed garlic is seasonal, the farm offers several products available for purchase year-round. Organic freeze-dried garlic preserves the full flavor and nutritional profile of the farm's volcanic-grown varieties in a shelf-stable format that restaurants, home cooks, and food producers can use anytime fresh seasonal garlic is unavailable. Garlic honey combines raw honey with organic garlic for a versatile culinary and wellness product. The farm's organic garlic growing kit gives home gardeners everything needed to grow their own supply of certified organic garlic, complete with seed garlic from the farm's volcanic soil and variety-specific planting instructions.
"I didn't really even like garlic until I started to grow it and experienced all the different garlicky flavors that are out there," Schallert said. "Store-bought garlic just didn't even come close to what we were able to grow. Once you experience that difference, you understand why it's worth doing this right."
Vision for Supporting New Garlic Farms
Schallert views the planting guide as part of a broader mission to help more American families enter organic garlic farming.
"I dream of growing this farm into something multi-generational where I can help other families get into growing garlic," Schallert said. "It's hard work but it's so very rewarding. There's plenty of market share in the garlic world for everyone to succeed."
About Basaltic Farms
Basaltic Farms is a family-owned certified organic garlic farm located in McArthur, California. The farm holds triple certification from CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), USDA Organic, and the Real Organic Project, with three annual on-site inspections ensuring zero chemical inputs. Founded in 2018, Basaltic Farms specializes in premium hardneck and softneck seed garlic varieties grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil. The farm ships nationwide from August through February and serves home gardeners, restaurants, and commercial garlic operations across the United States.
Contact Info:
Name: Zack Schallert
Email: Send Email
Organization: Basaltic Farms
Address: 641200 Beck Elliot Lane, McArthur, CA 96056, United States
Website: https://basalticfarms.com/
Source: NewsNetwork
Release ID: 89182904
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