Are there any secrets to this for those of us who have never tried this before?
Not that I can think of...garlic is pretty easy. I just amend my soil with composted chicken manure, plant my cloves, and mulch with straw or hay. You can still plant garlic in the spring, but in my experience fall planted garlic does much better.
Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without![/b]