What's Going On

Tucked up for winter!

Garlic's a bit like the Marmite of the veg world: you either love it or hate it, says Tim Rumball, Editor of Amateur Gardening. I'm firmly in the former camp, of course, and make a point of growing my own down on the allotment each year. I've just planted my latest batch of &lsquo;Cristo', a strong flavoured, white-skinned variety that can be lifted from June and stores well until the end of the year. You'll get the best results by buying proper &lsquo;seed' garlic bulbs rather than trying to grow the ones you can get at the supermarket ; they often don't work as well. It's important that you get your cloves in the soil this side of winter because garlic needs a cold shock before it starts growing away in spring. You can still plant in spring but your chances of a good crop are reduced, especially if the summer is poor. How to plant garlic <ol> <li> I scattered a general fertiliser over the bed and made sure I hadn't grown other members of the onion family here in the last few years before planting these cloves. With any luck I'll have some delicious bulbs ready in time for summer! ;</li> <li> Garlic cloves should be planted in holes about 1in (2.5cm) wide and around 2in (5cm) deep. Saturate the bed with water before using an old tool handle to make the holes; space them 4in. (10cm) apart ; a bamboo cane should be laid on the soil to give you a line and keep everything straight! ;</li> <li> Insert one clove into each hole ; on sandy soils they can go as deep as 4in. (10cm). Top each hole up with soil and lightly firm. Keep watered in dry weather and keep the bed free of weeds. The bulbs are ready for harvesting as soon as they leaves start fading ; which should be in June.</li> </ol>