Good for you! I love love love garlic and have grown some in my garden for a number of years. I'm impressed that you got grocery store garlic to grow as often it is treated. But, whatever works!
There is nothing like fresh garlic! And, yes, there are differences in taste and also in how long they will store. I've always heard not to leave your garlic in the sun to dry as the cloves can actually cook...but, maybe it's just hotter where I am.
My favorite sources for seed garlic are Filaree Farm and Territorial in Washington and Oregon, respectively. You gotta get a Filaree catalog; it's a wealth of great information plus there's usually a chart in the back to help with when to harvest as garlic can be early (even very early) to mid to late. Here's a link to Filaree's website (
http://www.filareefarm.com/) as it has lots of good info, too. I highly recommend either of these sources as they consistently send wonderful garlic (not my experience with some other places...).
Like other fall planted bulbs, I place my order in spring for best choices/selection. I tend to order too much...lol...as when I order I am longing for gardening season to begin. This year, I was able to share some with a good friend/neighbor who also loves to garden...I can't wait for her to grow and try 'gourmet' garlic....it's so fun! Some of the cloves have brilliant color (the wrappers) and some of the hardnecks have enormous sized cloves (because they tend to have less cloves in a head).
I'm not sure about the Chinese connection....as when I receive my garlic from the above sources (VERY reputable), they are always groomed and cleaned. I once attended the Gilroy Garlic Festival and it was great fun; however, the Pacific Northwest grows awesome garlic, too....and there are garlic collectors all over.
It's a neat neat plant to grow....you'll enjoy it very much....the varieties that scape will win you over (the scape is edible if you pick it while still soft)...the scape will curl around and then straighten up nice and tall! That's if you don't cut them off, of course. Some do, thinking it will make for a larger head.
I've already got my garlic planted (while numerous other fall garden chores are still to be done...)....I'll see if I can upload some pictures...it's already coming up!
By way of explanation....I am daylily person (and you know how we are...lol)...my garlic is planted along the edges of one of my seedling beds. That's what you see in the background, just fyi...daylily seedlings...
Close up to follow...
