Hi! I'm not sure what you mean by alternative. Do you mean what to plant instead of garlic or where to plant instead of in the garden? Either way this is not the typical season for planting garlic, it is usually done in the fall. Having said that, I have grown garlic that I planted in very early spring, and while it was smaller, it did allow me to save a strain that I would have otherwise lost.

Garlic can be grown in containers, but again it tends to be smaller (or so I have read), so if you are looking to plant it out of season and out of the ground, you might get some discouraglingly small garlics. But if you just want to try it and get the hang of what garlic is like, you can give it a go. Otherwise, this might be the year to get things up and running so you will have a place to plant garlic come fall.

Here's a link to a page about growing garlic. Towards the bottom there is a section about growing it in containers. And of course, I've only been growing garlic for 5-6 years, so while I'm very comfortable with the process, I don't have the experience of an expert! Hope this helps!

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Garlic

I got my garlic from Mike at the above link.
I am pleased with them & can not wait to harvest them.
Will buy more this fall.