Do I wait until Spring to plant them? Or, do I pot them now and put them in my basement? Would they survive the Iowa winter in the pots in my detached and unheated garage?

I've read that in the South they put the bulbs in the frig for 6 week then pot them. Does this work?

Need advice on this one.

Pete in I.F.

I have tried the pots in the refrigerator method and it works just fine if you have the space. After potting the bulbs and watering, I let them sit out for a day so there is a little less moisture in the pot.
Then I slip each pot into an old bread bag (to catch any drips and crumbs of soil), twist tie the top shut, and set them in the back of the frig.

Starting in early Feb. I take them out at 2 - 3 week intervals so the blooming time is spread out, although as I recall, those that stay in the frig longer grow a little faster because of ? ? ? ? But they do.
They'll get very leggy if they are indoors where it's room temp, so a bright cool place like an enclosed back porch is better once they start to grow. If it's going to be below freezing on the porch, I let them spend the night indoors in a cool place.

After they bloom, you can plant the bulbs outside in late spring and they will do their thing outdoors the next year. I've heard, but never tried it, that they don't have enough food left in the bulb to bloom again in a pot.

I checked over at the bulb forum - maybe you found this already - and it has some additional methods and thoughts.

Good luck!

maria