If you live in a warm climate, a coastal region, or an area with very mild winters, you have likely heard the old gardening rule: "If you want to grow garlic here, stick to the white Softneck varieties."
While varieties like Italian Pink and Glenlarge are fantastic, reliable growers for warm zones, sometimes you want that intense, spicy flavour and the stunning look of a Tasmanian Purple, Glamour, or Australian Purple.
The good news? You absolutely can grow these cold-climate varieties in warm areas. You need to know how to trick them.
The Problem: Why Purple Garlic Fails in Warm Weather
To succeed, you need to understand what the plant is waiting for.
Purple-striped garlics are almost always Hardneck varieties. In their natural habitat, they rely on a cold winter to act as a survival trigger. This process, called vernalisation, tells the clove: "Winter is here. When the soil warms up, you need to stop growing leaves and start making a bulb."
In warmer climates, we don't get the sustained chill hours required to flip that switch. If you plant a Tasmanian Purple directly into warm soil in April, it will often grow all winter happily but fail to split into cloves, leaving you with a single round bulb (a "round") that looks like an onion.
The Solution: Artificial Winter
Since the climate won't provide the chill, we have to provide it artificially using the kitchen fridge.
Here is your step-by-step guide to the "Fridge Trick":
Step 1: Buy Early (Don't Wait!) Most people buy garlic in April, but for this trick, you need to buy your Hardneck bulbs in February or early March. If you wait until planting season to buy them, you won't have enough time to chill them before planting.
Step 2: The Paper Bag Rule. Place the entire garlic bulb into a paper bag.
- Warning: Never use plastic. Plastic bags trap moisture, which can cause your precious bulbs to rot or mould before they even hit the soil. The bulbs need to breathe.
Step 3: Into the Crisper Place the paper bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. This creates a stable "false winter" environment (usually around 4°C).
- Leave them there for 4 to 6 weeks.
- Mark the date on your calendar so you don't forget them!
Step 4: The Shock Release Remove the bulbs from the fridge only when you are ready to plant (traditionally around Anzac Day). Break the bulbs into cloves and plant them immediately.
- The sudden shift from the cold fridge to the warm autumn soil tricks the garlic into thinking spring has arrived early, triggering explosive growth and bulb formation.
Which Varieties Need This Trick?
You only need to do this for Hardneck varieties. In our store, this includes:
- Tasmanian Purple
- Australia Purple
- Glamour
- Australian White (while adaptable, this variety also performs significantly better in warm areas with a 3-week chill).
The "No-Fuss" Alternative
Does that sound like too much effort?
If you want a guaranteed harvest without the fridge space, choose a Softneck variety. These were bred specifically for climates with mild winters. Varieties like Italian Pink, Glenlarge, and Kenlarge will bulb reliably in warm climates with no preparation, just pop them in the ground and watch them grow.
Ready to start your experiment? [Shop our full range of Hardneck and Softneck Garlic here]