Since early November I’ve had 4 pots of tulip and hyacinth bulbs chilling in my garage. When forcing bulbs for blooms indoors, many of them need about 12 to 16 weeks of chilling to bloom properly. I usually use my refrigerator crisper drawer, but I hate how that takes up valuable food space.
In early November I put the pots in a Rubbermaid bin surrounded by air-filled shipping material. I poked a few holes in the bin and covered it with a towel for extra insulation. In early December I peeked at them and some of the tulips were already showing signs of life. I noticed the inside of the container was awash with condensation and some of the bulbs had a little mold growing on them, so I poked a few extra holes in the bin with a screwdriver for more ventilation.
In late December the temperatures really took a nosedive and the garage got colder and colder. You don’t want the bulbs to freeze, just chill. The ideal temperature is 40 degrees. I had a jug of water sitting on the garage floor and when I tried to pour it into my heated birdbath I noticed there were chunks of ice in it. I worried my bulbs might freeze, but I didn’t want to lift the lid and check because I’d just let in more cold air.
This week I finally lifted the bin lid and discovered that my bulbs did not freeze. The two pots of hyacinths already have 3 or 4 inches of growth! I brought them inside and put them in a bright room (but not in direct sun) to give them some time to adjust to the light and warmth.
Both pots of tulips were also gung-ho, so I brought them inside as well.
I didn’t know if chilling bulbs in the garage would work, so I also chilled a few pots in the crisper drawer. I will wait a couple of weeks to bring those out so I can stagger the bloom times a bit.
I’m thrilled that the garage experiment was a success. From now on I’ll probably do all my bulb chilling in the garage.