What I was reading on Farmers Almanac said to cover it in straw. Then I watched a couple videos on Youtube and they said the same thing. Apparently the garlic will start to grow in the winter, hence the sprouts already in the late fall, and make it through the winter before shooting up the "whatever those shoots are" in the spring. But in the meantime, even though they are growing, they want to be cozy, so you have to cover them in straw. Again....
It's all a grand experiment around here. We are city folk transplanted in the country in our retirement for our entertainment. 
