Carolyn

Thanks for reaching out to the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program Volunteers!

Excellent question concerning your recently sprouted garlic. I’ve grown garlic for many years, both soft neck and hard neck varieties. Generally, we don’t see any sprouts pop up in November but when mild fall conditions exist, it's not unusual for garlic to sprout through the soil line. There's no need to do anything special. The sprouts will die back when the heavy frost hits, but the garlic clove itself will not be affected. The plants will still do well the following spring and should be ready to harvest by July.

I do cover/mulch my beds with about 3-4 inches of straw for a little added protection. Dry leaves work well if you don’t have access to clean straw. I advise against mulching with hay due to the weed seeds they carry.  And I also advise against adding additional soil since it seems the garlic are content at the current soil depth.

I’ll leave you with additional information -

UVM Extension, Growing Garlic: University of Vermont

University of Minnesota Extension: Growing garlic in home gardens | UMN Extension

New Hampshire Extension, Growing Garlic in NH: Resource006097_Rep8611.pdf

I expect you’ll have a wonderful summer harvest. Hope this was helpful!