I was a market grower for years. Garlic was our third best selling crop, planting thousands of cloves every year. We always started with certified seed garlic, and over the years saved our biggest to replant the next season. Our biggest heads consistently weighed over 1/4 lb. We sold it for $16-$20 a lb, and always sold out. A lot of our customers ordered seed garlic from us.

There is more to selling garlic than you think. It took up a large part of our garden for 9 months. Then dig it all. Then, you need a large structure in which to hang it to cure for weeks. Then you get to cut it all off the stalks, and clean it for market. It is a LONG long process. We sold 13 different types, and making sure each type was isolated from the other is a job in itself.

Garlic from suppliers is often tested for damage / disease. The biggest heads are selected year after year. Yes - $24 a lb sounds like a lot for garlic. But if you continue to save your own, it is a one time purchase. You will not have to worry about what type you have or if it is suited to growing in your area.