>>2552207If you want to grow some the best thing is to wait till fall to do any planting. Otherwise you'll be disappointed with the size and yield. You can always plant the garlic in spring and replant the biggest in fall.
The easiest ways of finding good seed stock for decent prices. Is to check facebook market place or ask around, and check farmer markets. Those ways are way cheaper than ordering online. Be wary of cheap seed garlic being sold online. I've seen alot of cheap seed garlic come with mites, fungus, or rot.
You can always get hard, soft and elephant from the store to try and grow. But I don't know how hardy it is since almost of it is grown in california. As a experiment I did buy a bunch of elephant garlic from walmart to see how it does compared to the stuff I get from Indiana.
Pretty much all hardnecks are extremely hardy except for the creoles. They do best in a warmer climate. Same as most softnecks. You can find cold hardy softnecks but there is only couple to choose from unlike hardnecks.
You can help the garlic by covering it with 6"-8" of straw or mulched leaves to act as insulation from the cold. Just make sure you remove the straw/mulch come spring time. Also snow helps insulate the garlic.
As to planting I mostly plant all the hard and soft necks 6" on center and in rows 8" apart. But with the elephant garlic I plant them 12" apart in rows 10" apart. Since the bulbs can get the size of a baseball.
Saving the biggest "seed" will make huge bulbs to an extent. I've seen normal sized cloves make huge bulbs and huge cloves make tiny bulbs.
I try to save the biggest for seed stock and sell medium sized ones. While keeping the small ones for cooking or to turn to garlic powder to sell to customers for extra profit.
