Tom - not sure if my 2011 garlic garden is impressively huge or impressively foolish - time will tell
Interesting to hear about the problems with your seed garlic. I had a similar experience. Several varieties from one source were pretty spotty by mid-October. All the garlic I ordered from Filaree Farm (more expensive) was impeccable.
My theory is this: Filaree is growing on mineral soil in a dry western climate - this produces somewhat smaller heads, but with better storing qualities. Other seed garlic suppliers are growing in richer soil - producing larger heads (enormous in some cases) but with poorer storage potential.