I’ve grown garlic, when I lived in Ohio.
If the cloves are soft and mushy, cook them and restart your garlic project in the fall.
If they still seem firm to you, plant them either on the north or east side of the house (to shield from afternoon heat). You prolly will not want to use these for cooking this season; but will be growing them for next season’s stock.
The point is, if they are starting to emit an odor, they are reaching their temperature limit. They need to get into cool soil, and fast. Once you plant them, be sure to mulch them.
Thanks for the information. I was concerned about using them to cook with this season. I’ll plant them, even if I get less yield it will be fine. I’m originally from Ohio also, boy do I miss Ohio river tomatoes!!
I’m down in SC now and this is my first year growing plants in the south. The bugs destroyed my strawberry plants, something is pulling up my onions, the watermelons are slow but coming along. The only thing that appears to be doing great are my pole beans.
Between the bugs, critters and heat gardening down here is going to be more difficult that when I gardened in Ohio.