PQNK: The Pristine Organic Production System for Onion and Garlic Cultivation

This guide is distinct from PQNK's yield-and-economics literature on garlic and onion in that its focus is propagation method and system transition rather than cost modeling. It opens by comparing the three planting materials available for alliums: seeds, which take 4-6 months to mature but offer the broadest genetic base and let growers select for traits like disease resistance; large bulbs planted as 'sets,' which establish in 2-3 months with good uniformity but can carry disease if not properly selected or stored; and small bulbs or offsets, genetic clones of the parent plant that combine the speed of bulb propagation with the highest uniformity of the three methods.

Offsets are presented as generally optimal for commercial production: they are cheaper than both seeds and large bulbs, multiply rapidly, and reduce crop-management variability because every plant is genetically identical to its parent. The guide details their full handling chain: collect after the main crop matures and begins to die back, dig carefully and separate with clean tools to prevent disease transmission, air-dry for a few days in a cool ventilated space, then store at 4-10°C in breathable mesh containers if not planting immediately. Planting guidelines specify a 1-inch depth with the pointed end up, 4-inch spacing between plants and between rows, and consistent low moisture maintained through mulch rather than frequent irrigation.

The second half of the guide lays out a 10-step conventional-to-PQNK transition sequence that applies identically to both onion and garlic: laser-level the plot, break the hardpan (the compacted layer 8-22 inches deep) to restore water and air infiltration, flood-irrigate once to leach salts and chemicals and reconnect soil layers, form 42-inch raised beds with 18-inch furrows sized for 60-inch tractor tracks, establish and then mulch a cover crop in place without disturbing the soil or its root systems, plant propagules at 4-inch spacing for a target density of roughly 235,224 bulbs per acre, and eliminate all purchased fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide inputs. Irrigation under this system is reduced to whatever is needed to hold soil pore water content at roughly 35%, and harvest timing is read directly off the crop, triggered once 60% of plant leaves have turned yellow rather than by calendar date.

Because the same 10-step sequence and the same offset-propagation logic apply to both crops, the guide treats onion and garlic as functionally interchangeable within the PQNK system, differing only in variety-specific detail rather than in method.