There is also a garlic and herb festival in Bennington VT at the beginning of September. Not as many garlic growers as the Saugerties festival, but you can get an early start on your shopping before farmers start running out of seed stock. Most of mine came from Alpha Garlic Farm which sells on-line as well as the festivals in the area.
When I bought my seed stock at the VT festival, I also picked up a pamphlet on growing garlic. It said to soak the separated cloves for two hours in a bucket of water with two heaping tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in it, and then soak for a few minutes in rubbing alcohol before planting them. I've been doing it this way for three years now, and have not had any problems with disease, rot, etc.
If you don't live close enough to attend a garlic festival, I suggest choosing a couple of on-line vendors and keeping a close watch for when they start selling seed stock. If you wait to long, they'll sell out.
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