If you just bought the tulips that recently, I would definitely return them to the store for a refund. They should not be oozing yuck this soon regardless of where you store them! I'd have a hard time trusting the integrity of the others.

Assuming you get good tulip bulbs, it's best to put them in the coolest part of your fridge (NOT with fruit) for 8 to 10 weeks. Put them in and mark your calendar. Plant them then. Tulips need more winter chill than you can reliably give them.

As for the others, store them in a cool, dark, airy place: cellar, under a bed in an air conditioned room, etc .

I bought the 4 bags of tulips from Wal Mart (all my others I bought from mail-order).

The selection at Wal Mart is already over half gone. The varities I bought were the most popular, and arent there anymore.

I dont have a basement or a cellar. I havent been really running my central air as it has been cool enough where I live to keep the windows open. It has been in the low 70's to mid/upper 60's during the day.

I guess I will keep them in my fridge until I plant them in November.

Danielle

I put the bulbs in an interior closet, where it stays dark and cool.

In another thread, it's stated that tulip bulbs do not need refrigerator chilling in your zone. The fridge is a good place to store them, but you don't need to keep them there for as long. It won't be long before you can plant them. Good luck!

Yes, I recieved an e-mail back from my county co-op garden representative who said tulip bulbs do not need to be chilled where I live.

The tulips are in my fridge now for storage until planting time in November.

My tulips filled up both of my crisper drawers so the crocus, hyacinths, muscari, and daffodils had to go to the closet.

Thanks,
Danielle