You could definitely start it indoors! Mine seems all too ready to do that on it's own! :o) You bury the cloves seperately with pointy end up.

As I see sprouts on the garlic I break off that clove and stick it in any stray pot, but one usually plants garlic in the fall outside in the garden. Since the ground is probably frozen by you, I imagine your garlic will be indoor plants --- just make sure you give each clove plenty of room and fertilizer.

read over at the allium forum and you will learn alot about garlic. If your ground is not too frozen, plant it outside now, it will do much better than indoors. I planted a bit more outside on Jan 1st. and it will be one of the first things I see growing in my garden this spring. Seperate the cloves before you plant them.

Thank you everyone, from what I'm reading I could plant my garlic outdoors right now. Believe it or not the ground is not frozen. We have had only 1 night drop below freezing (31) since December 21st. Every day since it's been 35-45. So do you think it would be ok to plant right now?

I really don't know... if you are just planting store garlic, why not? If it freezes, just buy more! :o) I live where it's a freak night where we get freezing, so I shouldn't talk.

As long as you have decent drainage, you should be ok planting the cloves ourside now. They'll grow roots very slowly and my guess is that you won't get any green until spring. Since you have a bunch, you can hedge your bets and make a planting now and if it rots, then do another one in early spring to replace any that didn't make it ... you might not get as large a head or they might just mature a bit later but garlic's really tough so I'd go for it.

The ground's frozen several feet down here so I'd try it in pots.
Tthere are a lot of different kinds of garlic but the type that does best here are the hard necks - those with a hard stem in the middle and a half dozen or so cloves in a single row around it. The soft neck garlic which is generally what is sold in stores usually is not adapted to cold climates though there are some varieties that do well. Also the soft necks have smaller cloves.
The allium forum has a ton of info on this stuff.

Garlic is usally planted in the fall for summer harvest. It will grow roots and also tops. When planting garlic divid the glove into individual bulbs pointed tip up. You want a well drained area and lose soil. I add potasium to the area, then addtional fertilizers during the growing season. Garlic should be ready when the tops bend over. However you can use it at any time. Once dug, clean it and allow it to air dry. Then bag it in net bags to help continue to dry. Enjoy