Keeping garlic

So today I have a question for all Garlicster readers. Here's the deal:

Last week I bought a pack of 4 garlic heads, I used one whole head on the chicken I cooked (recipe to be posted soon), and left the other three heads in the mesh bag on the kitchen counter. Now my kitchen does not get a lot of natural light, but it's not totally dark. Last night, when I was getting ready to prepare a delicious garlic fetuccini I reached for the garlic and there were grown stems on two out of the three heads I had. Some of the cloves didn't germinate, but some did. I just cut the green part off the cloves and used those cloves for my spaghetti.
Now the question is: Does anyone know the correct way to keep garlic? These heads had been there for only one week and this happened. I read somewhere that you shouldn't keep garlic in the fridge, but that's just what I did after last night.

What is your best way of keeping fresh garlic? Have you had any experiences like mine (garlic germinating)?

Leave a comment or send me an email and I'll post it for discussion.