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Shipping Schedule
Garlic in our climate is usually
harvested in late June to mid July. Shipping begins several weeks after
harvest, as the garlic first must finish curing. After the curing
period, each variety must be cut off the stalks, lightly cleaned to
remove dirt that affects weight, and sorted. After weighing,
shipping occurs primarily in chronological order by purchase date.
As we pack and ship, we'll post what
date range we are shipping here, and an e-mail will also be sent
notifying purchasers of their order shipping status (if purchased online).
Please open your garlic to allow it to have
fresh air as soon as it arrives. Store in a cool, dry location out
of sunlight until your planting time.
2012 Shipping
Example of 2011 Shipping Notes,
below:
-
October 5:
New orders will almost always be shipped within 3 business days.
-
9/25: New orders
will be shipped within 7 days of order with few or no exceptions.
Since the temperatures have cooled, we will now ship any weekday.
-
September
10-19 orders almost all shipped
9/20.
-
August
17-September 10 orders shipped 9/12
except for a few 1 and 2-lb orders that we hope will ship by
9/20.
-
August 1-16 orders should ship out Wednesday and
Monday, September 7
and 12.
-
Most orders received
July 14 to July 31 shipped out Tuesday,
September 6.
-
Most orders
received May 1 to July 13
were shipped by Tuesday, August 30.
EXCEPTIONS:
We typically
ship on Mondays and Tuesdays until mid September due to high
temperatures. After that, we may ship any weekday.
Check here periodically for order dates in process
of being shipped.
Orders are checked 2 or more separate times for accuracy.
Why Can't We Ship Garlic
Sooner?
Some growers ship their garlic as soon as it is harvested. This is a poor
practice for several reasons:
- The customer is paying for water weight (as much as 30%), which in turn,
increases the amount paid per pound by that same percentage.
- The garlic can/will mold if it is not unpacked and spread out to dry upon
receipt. It can even begin to mold during shipping.
- The garlic's cloves can begin to rot due to excessive moisture if not
allowed to dry and cure.
- Damaged/soft cloves sometimes develop after harvest, so bulbs with damaged
cloves would be shipped out because they weren't detectable at the time of
harvest in some cases. While this can still happen during the time between
receipt of garlic and your planting time, it is greatly reduced if garlic is
not shipped soon after harvest before curing.
What is the typical timeline for shipping?
This can greatly vary, but here's an example:
- Harvest occurs in the first half of July usually.
- The garlic must spend 3 to 5 weeks curing and drying, so it is not shipped
while wet and so customers aren't paying for water weight.
- In late August, the garlic has cured. We then must cut it off the stalks,
clean it, and sort it. This takes some time!
- At the end of August or in early September, we can begin shipping. We
typically ship on Mondays and Tuesdays so the garlic can arrive before the
weekend, and therefore we hope to avoid having it sit in a warehouse over a
weekend.
Why Can't You Purchase
Garlic Early Each Year?
When can you purchase garlic?
You may wonder why garlic is not offered for sale earlier in the year.
Having an accurate inventory of garlic before harvest, curing and drying time,
cutting from stalks, and weighing is impossible.
For this reason, seasoned and reputable garlic growers offer a small
percentage of their expected harvest for sale to help prevent overselling, and
possibly no garlic is for sale until inventory can be completed.
Even conservative pre-harvest and pre-curing estimates can be unexpectedly
far off the actual total! Growers don't enjoy canceling orders and disappointing
customers, and customers don't like that either. Most growers do their best, but
can't be held liable for unexpected inventory problems.
So in summary, selling garlic before some time in August is risky for growers
because inventory can be drastically different from estimates:
- Garlic may look great and large above the ground while growing, but in
some years, even large and gorgeous plants can have a small bulb below ground.
- Garlic can lose as much as 25% or 30% of its weight and size during
curing/drying. Different varieties shrink at different rates during curing.
This is another reason to NOT buy garlic from a grower that grades, weighs,
and ships less than 3 weeks following harvest!
- Until the garlic is actually handled individually, bulbs with damaged
cloves can't be accounted for. Damaged bulbs can still get by the best
inspector when large quantities must be processed, but during inventory, most
are discovered and those bulbs are set aside for non-shipment. This affects
inventory quantities, as the damaged bulbs reduce pounds in inventory.
Shipping Charges
Like you, we always like to get a good value for our money. We have
researched shipping options, and have been able to assign shipping
to the most-often-used quantities as follows:
One half pound small/medium bulbs from Gardeners' category,
$7
.501-4 lbs, $12
4.5-7 lbs, $16
7.5-14 lbs, $25
14.5-25 lbs $35
25.5-39 lbs, $60 with refund if overly incorrect of actual
cost.
39.5-50 lbs, $80 with refund if overly incorrect of actual
cost.
For Bulk Orders Over 50 lbs, Contact Us for a Customized
Invoice
Bulk Order Shipping
Per 50-lb box, example via USPS Priority: ~$80 (2011 prices)
Other options may exist. Contact us for alternatives and pricing.
Customers placing orders via the shopping
cart should receive an e-mail at the time the order is shipped.
Upon receipt, please open your garlic immediately and store in a
cool, dry place until planting.
Watch our Blog page for shipping information yearly. Timing of
shipping varies with harvest dates, drying times, and other factors.
No international orders, please.
Last updated
September 18, 2012
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