FAQ
Let us help you, and if you can help us too!
We appreciate any feedback that can improve your experience and that of future customers.
How do I buy your garlic?
Thanks for your interest. We don't operate a regular store front at present, but you can order through this site (preferably), or inquire by text, email, or phone if you run into any problems.
Can I buy a specific variety by the pound?
Right now we have a high demand for each of our hand-picked, rare, and unique garlics. These individual bulbs are either strong and sizeable for planting stock, or have a truly unique flavour profile or lineage not found anywhere else on the island. If you're lucky they might skip past our highly trained guards into a bulk order, or you can take no chances and buy individually.
Do you deliver?
We are currently an online only business with no brick and mortar store-front, so orders will be delivered either through Canada Post or with to-door delivery within the greater St. John's area (for a small nominal fee). If you choose the door delivery option you can put your address in at checkout, and we'll deliver direct to you. Shipping charges through Canada Post are prorated by order size. Alternatively we will offer pickup options through the fall for those how want to venture out to Flatrock to get their garlic.
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We will start shipping around the second to third week of September, and you will get your order well in time for planting. Garlic orders will be packed in clearly labelled paper bags, in heavy corrugated cardboard shipping boxes. Tracking numbers will be provided when the order is shipped.
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Please check your order once received for accuracy and condition. If there is a problem, contact us right away and we’ll do our best to correct it. We’ll include a storage and planting how-to guide both electronically and with the shipment so you can give your garlic every chance for success.
How do I grow garlic? Can I use this garlic to grow my own?
Garlic is a wonderful vegetable to grow. It's the first thing up in the spring and an omen of good things to come for the garden. You can surely plant our garlic and nurture it for future consumption. At a high level there are a few major steps for success:
(1) Keep your seed garlic in a coolish dry place (ideally around 15 degrees Celsius and 50 to 60% humidity) we find a dry basement is a good place to start. Store it in paper bags or something else that will let it breath.
(2) Plan to plant somewhere between October and December in a well worked, weed free and fertile place in your garden. Try not to plant into frozen ground. Don't ask how we know this.
(3) Break your bulb apart into individual cloves a few days before you're ready to plant.
(4) Poke a hole in the soil deep enough to cover each clove with one to two inches of soil as a minimum. Make sure the the bottom (root end) is down. Space your garlic cloves six to eight inches apart in rows at least the same distance apart as you'll want enough space to weed.
(5) You can leave it there for now, or if you're adventurous cover it with a mulch like leaves, bows or similar to give it a warm blanket for winter. In the Spring pull back your mulch if you have any and watch the garlic grow.
(6) You may need a modest amount of water through the summer. Garlic wants about an inch of water a week for our soils and in our climate Mother Nature will usually take care of this for you. Garlic can be overwatered so you need to keep that in mind. A couple fertilizer amendments like kelp or liquid fish can be added every couple of weeks early in the season up until you have five to seven initial leaves growing and before scapes (pointy looking bulb/flower that protrude late in the season).
(7) Scapes are the sign that your garlic is getting ready for the home stretch. You'll see them grow into a shepherd's crook and loop for most varieties. You can cut or pop them with your fingers and they'll put their energy into your bulb. If you leave them on that's OK but for most varieties your bulbs won't get as magnificently large as they could have .
(8) Your bottom leaves will die back through the summer. When you have four to six green leaves left on the top of your garlic, it's time to harvest. Ideally this has come with a few days to a week of dry weather beforehand. Dig them out with a garden fork and be sure not to damage the delicate bulbs after all your hard work. Shake off any large clumps of dirt but again try not to damage the bulbs. You may choose to keep the stalk and roots for now or trim. Do your own reading on this as there is a bit of nuance, but leaving as is perfectly OK until it's dry.
(9) Hang and dry your garlic in a warm, well ventilated and dry space. They can cure outside for a day or two if it's dry, but the majority should happen inside with fans and a dehumidifier if you have one. Newfoundland is probably the wettest place to dry garlic in Canada so when you read about people drying outside hung on strings that's a recipe for bad things here. It should take two to three weeks to get a good cure. You can tell it's ready when the outer wrappers are really papery and will just flake off when rubbed.
(10) Once dry, you can trim the stalk back to two to three inches, and cut off the root hairs. Now you have garlic for the cold winter ahead and more to replant in the garden for years to come.
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