In late April I ordered a Creole garlic sampler from gourmet garlic and am eagerly awaiting mid Sept. arrival. I've never grown garlic my self here in Florida (zone 8b/9). Did grow some along time ago in a galaxy far,far away...well, Seattle WA when I lived there years ago.

I garden with self-sufficiency in mind, and so I'd prefer not to order 25-30$/lb seed garlic every year. Mostly I'm just cheap,except with my gardening.

What would be a good strategy for for maximizing my seed? I'm willing to have small harvests for a few years if it means plenty of seed garlic to keep me going.

Are creoles easily propagated by bulbils? Do I need to consider vernalization if I grow from small cloves or bulbils? Like in a fridge for brewing beer in the hot FL climate 55 F or so?

I'm not real confident about growing garlic where the winter are so mild.My father grew garlic in Tallahassee,FL for years, but he hasn't gardened in a while and can't recall the type other than he saved it from year to year for a long time.

Thanx