Garlic question

[Rocketron]

The received wisdom appears to be that garlic requires sub-zero temoeratures to split.
The garlic bulbs I've just bought from Tesco come from Spain.
Are these from a very rare area of Spain that actually has sub-zero temperatures or is the received wisdom wrong ?
Your thoughts please.

[bramble]

Hi Rockerton, yes the garlic does need frosty temps to split but parts of Northern Spain get cold winters as well.

[astraman1]

i tried growing some garlic from asda that was from spain this year and the bulbs were rubbish ive seen bigger spring onions the proper stuff i grew gave me a few decent bulbs trying some new verieties this year too

[bramble]

If you want top quality garlic you would be better to get it from a garden centre or order it from the garlic farm, that way you won't be disappointed.
Good luck anyway.

[Mr Bones]

I read somewhere in order to split, garlic needs 20 consecutive days at 10 degrees C or less

[Elfeda]

like the tesco garlic from spain to its shape and size. gonna give a try along with the asda gaint hardneck garlics.

[WilliamD]

I'm sure the thing about needing a long period of deep cold to split isn't necessarily the case, although very happy to be corrected. A few years ago I planted cloves of 'Arno' garlic, bought from one of the garden centres, in spring. I lifted them at the end of September and although they weren't huge they had split into cloves perfectly well. I remember because I entered them in the VVS that year.

[Lisasbolt]

I heard somewhere at some point
that you should separate the cloves from the bulb and then put into the fridge for a few days to a week. I bought mine from a local market but we do not get cold day well not really so mine have been sitting in the fridge for the last couple of days. I have no idea if it will help, it is my first year of properly trying to grow garlic.
Last year i pushed in a few cloves and thanks to BB info, i got a few rounds back. I ended up eating most before realising that these would have been good to plant this year.