I'm not really sure what I should be maxing on him...I've been maxing Q first and I haven't been doing so bad. What do you all suggest?

I usually get my Q first but max my E first because I like my Q for the silence mainly and the E for the damage

It really depends

Maxing Q is safer(Longer MS increase)

But E is the way I have always gone

Q for the longer sleep, and the movespeed to harass/escape. E if you're wanting to creep clear. I always go for maxing Q first myself, and then max out E. Mobility is huge.

1 in Q then max E

I used to max Q first, the idea being able to have superior trades in lane, much like MemoryLapse's style, but I started having much more favorable trades when I started taking 1 point in Q early and maxing E first. It could just mesh better with the way I play Garen.

I'm going to try taking one into Q then maxing E and see how I do

Depends. Hard lane max W> Q > E and R ofc.
Easy lane max Q > E > W.
Normal lane and unsure E > Q > W.

That's what I take

I usually take 1 point in Q because it silences, gives ms and does a substantial amount at level 1 (~110). I then max e as soon as possible. the first two or three ranks of spin are really quite weak, so I prefer to get it up to par by midgame and teamfights.
And although this is rather off topic, remember the same thing when playing against a garen. His early spins are not very good, and so you should not fear it too much.