Good advice, pine needles are acidic the lime won't hurt, and will mature (which it does slowly) to be also available to second season crops once the garlic is harvested. I got caught short on time and energy this autumn or I would have prepared beds for next years tomatoes and peppers, and limed them. That fall lime seems to me to keep blossom end rot to a minimum. Mulch for garlic has to be the sort that does not pack down over winter, since the new shoots have to come up through it. I don't always fall mulch my garlics. This year it didn't get done, not last year either, and I had almost perfect stands last spring anyway. It will be even more effective to spring mulch to keep soil moisture uniform for best top growth. Once again summer mulch also has to breath since garlic required good drainage.

Garlic and shallots can still be planted. You plant them in the fall and depending on your location and the variety they will be ready for harvest sometime between late June and mid August. Sometimes they sprout in the fall before the ground freezes and sometimes they don't but they will grow fine regardless. Bulb onions are completely different. What variety you plant and when depends on your location. In New England you will need a long day onion. Lots of information on growing these a search here and on the Allium Forum will pull up but in short, if you are starting from seed you will need to start them indoors in January or February and then transplant them outdoors maybe sometime around mid April. They will be ready for harvest in mid summer. If you want to deal with seeds and decide to plant sets or store bought transplants then you will still plant them in the spring. If you plant them at the wrong time onions will only make scallions and will not bulb up (same goes for garlic and shallots too). "I have more of these (grocery store) red onions that went soft and are sprouting. Compost or plant them?" You can plant them if you want but don't expect them to form a bulb. They will make scallions and will flower. Onions are biennial and flower in their second year or growing season. Rodney P.S. Here's the link to the Allium Forum. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/allium

The garlic will keep growing, it is very hardy. It will die back and it will regrow next spring. I have planted garlic from October-January and haven't had a problem.

Not sure where you are located, but I'm in z5 and plant my garlic around mid October. If the weather is warm enough it will sometimes sprout before the snow comes, but I've never had rabbits bother with my garlic at any time of year. Not sure what ate yours, but at this point all you can do is wait and see if the bulbs send off new shoots.