[RJR_38]

So I have been battling rust on my garlic since March and I thought I had kept it in check until I went down there today after a week.... And they look terrible - the Vaseline has obviously work off and it up has spread like wildfire and the lower leaves are yellow and dying from the rust. I would have to cut every leaf off to get rid of it.

If I leave them am I likely to still get a fairly decent crop? I just pulled one today out of interest and the 'bulb' is about the thickness of the stems which are maybe 1/2 inch to inch across.

They are right next to my onions and I spotted a few yellow tips so I'm worried it will spread..

What would you do?

[New shoot]

Garlic rust affects garlic, leeks and onions and if every leaf is really covered in it, the plants won't really be growing.  Sorry, but a decent crop isn't that likely 

If it was me, I would pull the garlic out and salvage what I could to eat as green garlic, or maybe a garlic oil or garlic butter.  The latter freezes well, so you could chill it, then cut into chunks or slices to freeze.  Green garlic has a milder taste so use more than usual 

[RJR_38]

Ok, could I use the bulbs as 'cloves' to plant for next year as they were quite expensive or does the rust stay on them?

[Eightball]

Mine had rust on them last year and they grew fine but don't think it was as serious as yours sounds. Take a picture?

Generally its advised to save the biggest and best of what you grow for seed (in this case cloves) as they should grow better the next year. If all you have is small garlics it's probably not worth saving.