I'm in Maine. Porcelain types grow best for people up here. Never grown garlic in Texas, but from what I've read, soft-neck Creole types supposed to grow best in zone 8 Texas. You might want to use google to look up some cultivar names of soft-neck Creole type garlic.

Good luck.

I am not an expert, but I am learning and from what I have learned softneck varieties tend to do better in the South than hardnecks. Around Novemeber 1, 2008 I planted a variety called Anchellium Red, an artichoke softneck. I went crazy and planted 330 plants. Hopefully I will have garlic for everybody in Alabama this year :).

Hey thanks someguyinmain and rommel for info,I have been planting calif. white I got at grocery store with pretty good luck, but think i will order some good stock like creole and a red .where do you order from. bill

gourmet garlic gardens is in TX. Please look up his site and read it, it's an excellent source of information. he will also have the right variety for that area.

Bill - Some Creole types do better for me than others, I have found. A gardener who lives nearby has told me he also tends to have mixed success with Creoles and some also do better for him than others. Ones that have done particularly well in my garden in the past include Ajo Rojo, Burgundy, Creole Red, and Cuban Purple. Bulbs will tend to be smaller than Artichokes, but flavor is usually more intense. They are also pretty because the clove covers tend to be colorful (how much depends on growing conditions), which you may or may not care about.

Most softneck artichoke types are generally easy to grow in Texas - ones I particularly like for size, taste, and storage include Inchelium Red and Simoneti. These types will tend to store longer than Creoles.

Another variety I that does very well for me is Red Janice (Turban). I've had mixed success with Asiatic/Turban types, and several were not able to do much more than make rounds for me, but Red Janice is a notable exception, nice large bulbs.

Bob (Gourmet Garlic Gardens) is a good source and has a website jam packed with great information, some of it specific to growing garlic in a southern climate.

Another source I like is Filaree Farm. Has a good selection of Creole and many other types, will sometimes order from them too.

Get your order in soon before they start to run out, can happen early, especially for some of the more unusual types.