FWIW, I've always had spotty germination with PCF and Gaillardia. To compensate, I sow REALLY thickly. I'm not as diligent about watering; they get it when I'm out there, and whichever ones I "see" that are definitely needing it. Ruds are also sprinkled really thickly, but I have spotty patchy germination, as well. Do you "place" your seeds in the containers, or just sprinkle them in? I count pretty much nothing; just sow heavily. And...FWIW, I'm still WSing- by that I mean still going...because I just didn't do enough over the winter/early spring, and I just want to do more. It's not too late to still start things. Toss in some Sweet Williams- they're bis, so they'll grow well this year, and flower next (and you'll likely never have to WS them again; I WSd them one year about 5 years ago, and don't have to ever re-WS them. Super easy). Also Dianthus/Carnations don't need cold strat, so you could do those...I'm sure there's piles of perennials that don't need cold strat that you could start now; I just don't have a list.

The difference in success from year to year involves so many variables. I've been WS for 6 years now, and even with that amount of experience, the differences from year to year, do vary every year. My success rate has always been at least 95%; success defined by me as germination of any kind in a container, not the number of seedlings germinated in each container, I do try to keep records as to where the seeds came from. Such things as trades, commercial seeds and what co. they came from, my own collected seeds. From year to year, not all seed will germinate the same, even for me. I always put out the perennials first. Being in New England, I do have a few months to get them out and get the cold that they need, BUT, 2 years ago we had the strangest winter. 60 to near 70 degrees in January and I know people that had WS their seeds in Dec. and had seeds germinating in January because it was so warm. Those plants didn't survive. I had a late start that winter and ended up not getting my seeds out till mid February and they germinated fine for me, I didn't have any germination too early. So for me, I learned that I can start in mid Feb and it won't be too late for me. BUT, I've also had some serious cold snaps as late as mid May and if I had not covered my tender annuals several nights in a row, I would have lost all of them. So variables are major things to deal with. Weather is a real problem. One year I had 8 inches of rain over 2 days and all my containers where floating in the backyard and the ducks where swimming right beside and around them. Most survived, but there where some that survived the floods, only to be eaten by the invasion of slugs that I had never had before in 29 years living in my home. When we sow seeds that we traded for, we take a risk. Where the seeds collected when they where ripe or where they too early? If too early then the seeds will not be viable and will not germinate for you. The same thing can happen with commercial bought seeds as well. I've had my share of "no shows" in containers from commercial purchased seeds from big name seed companies. I've gotten my money back, but still had no plants from the seeds I planned on. Watering can be a problem, which goes with the weather. this year has been the craziest weather I have seen in 28 years living in my home. We've gone from freezing temps to 80's and 90's, with temps not staying stable for more than 2-3 days at most. 80's and 90's in early April are not normal where I am, but we've had them. We've had frosts long after it should not be happening and may happen again tonight. I've never had to water my containers before the last week in April to the first week in May at the earliest. This year I have had to water every other day since the first week in April. Germination for me has been very eradic as well. Same seeds, same kind of containers, sowed the same day from the same collected, traded or commercial packet and containers are germinating days and weeks apart. My datura are usually about 4 inches tall now, and most have not germinated yet. They need steady 70 degree soil temp to germinate but they haven't gotten it. And, we have not had a lot of rain. lots of days with rainy showers that moisten the top of the containers but not enough to soak into them. Over 6 years of WS, I've learned to just go with the flow. Always expect good germination in terms of container numbers, sow more seeds than I will need in more containers, which usually will cover the beds planted. Assume that some will not germinate and that's just the way mother nature is. Remember that no matter how you look at it, you will have more plants than you would have if you had to buy them and just WS next year and keep going. The only way you will have a sure fire way to have every plant that you want, no matter what, is to buy them. That's far too expensive for me to deal with, considering the number of beds that i have to fill and keep filling. WS does it for me and I wouldn't do it any other way. Fran

My soft neck garlic did not go dormant at all this year, but turned out okay even if a lot smaller than I usually get. The hard neck was an entirely different situation as it did not bulb up in the majority of the crop (several hundred.) That, too, may have been from insufficient chilling, but the lack of rain here in the far northern coast part of California is perhaps part of the problem. Also, the rust has been very bad for several years now and I had it really bad which is making me rethink my usual procedures. For some reason I planted a great deal in 18" containers which were far upwind of the vegetable garden where the infected crop was planted so will have some sort of clean stock to plant with later this year. Talked to a friend who sells at our farmers market and his crop of Music was a complete wash although not from rust.

So don't take our word for it. Get ahold of the Texas Dept of Agriculture and find out how to grow garlic down south. Or get out into a local farmers' market and talk to the growers themselves. In Houston you need to grow garlic like they do in Florida, which is an artificial winter of some 3 months or so at near freezing in the refrigerator and then plant out after New Years. Up here in Minnesota I plant in October. I would not expect that to work in Houston. My opinion is that the vernalization (chilling) does help eventual bulbing which is the process that would normally follow blossom (as it does in tulips, which need the chill to flower). I have planted in the spring without the chilling (I store at room temp; so in the spring those cloves did not get chilled) and got nothing but gar-leeks myself (very much like your picture but with a lot fewer leaves), in fact those plants stayed green and erect throughout our next Minnesota winter, barely qualifying as dormant, and then they bulbed up the next season. They were hardnecks and broke dormancy without a chill, but did not bulb up until after a very intense one. You are correct that you need to culture your garlics different from what is successful this far north. But it is still garlic and there are conditions you will need to meet.