I did the farmer's market thing, Lone Jack, but I'm not thrilled with the results. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange sells garlic. I'm considering ordering from them this year. They tend to cater to southern gardeners. I'm also thinking all softnecks, which tolerate warmer weather and we are used to cooking with. For the footprint they take up, hardnecks have not been used well in our kitchen. I plant my garlic on my daughter's birthday, which is 10/23, so down in DFW early Nov sounds about right. Dawn will have more experience with Texas climate.

Thanks Amy! I was thinking softnecks as well or maybe some of the creole hard neck types. I'll check out SESE as well.

I think that most years the DFW metro gets enough cold weather to grow hardnecks but I'm not positive about that. We've been here since 1999 and it seems rather obvious to me that the winters just keep getting warmer and warmer down south of us (and here as well) since then. This year, the DFW metro area experienced an extraordinarily early last freeze on or around Jan 8 or 9. I wonder if the lack of cold there might have affected their garlic crops this year? I haven't heard any garlic issues mentioned by Texas gardeners. I do think that the further south in TX you go, the more iffy it may be to grow hardnecks---but DFW is fairly far north.

My dad grew one (I think it was the only one you could get back then unless you grew grocery store garlic) that was called Texas White back decades ago. I'm really not sure it was anything different from California Early White or California Late White. Maybe it had been selected out of one of the Cali Whites. I am sure that back then I just grew what he grew and we were limited to what the local nurseries had, which was the Texas White. I didn't start ordering other kinds of garlic to grow until well after we moved here.

Other varieties that I know have been grown in the DFW metro in the past with good results include Silverwhite silverskin, German White, California Early, California Late, Creole (Burgundy and Red Creole), Music, Purple Glazer, Spanish Roja and Elephant Garlic. There's probably a lot more, but I don't really know anyone any more who gardens down there so there's no one I can ask to list what ones they grow.

Really, unless the sort of nonexistent to short winter that we had in 2016-17 becomes the norm in the DFW metro area, I think any variety you grow up there will also grow well down there. Any variety I've ever grown here has grown well despite southern OK's highly variable weather, which is very similar to DFW's weather. So, I think it comes down to just trying to find varieties your tastebuds like. I imagine it will be the same with your niece as long as the climate doesn't change too much.

The planting dates don't seem real firm down there. We always waited until October when the air was becoming cooler but the soil still was fairly warm. Some years it stays really hot down there for a long time, and in a year like that I think we might have waited until November to plant our garlic. Those years seem long ago and far away, and all the old guys in our neighborhood who taught me how to garden by example now are gone....and that makes me feel sort of sad and nostalgic all at the same time. I use about the same planting dates here in OK as we did when we lived down in DFW. Planting garlic seems pretty open-ended in an area with a long autumn and short winter. I plant anywhere between October and the end of December and get good harvests no matter what.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn! I guess I will send her a sample of several different kinds and she can just see what works for her and what doesn't. I'll tell her to keep an eye out for some locally grown as well. I'll suggest that she vernalize the hardnecks in the fridge for a few weeks before planting just in case it is a very mild winter down there.

You're welcome. That sounds like a great plan!

To funny! Two of my new cycling friend are heading home to Owen Sound, to harvest their garlic. It is ready here so much later.

Moni