Grow

Garlic casts no shade and is vulnerable to being smothered by weeds. You can avoid this by removing weeds regularly before they become established.

Garlic does not need additional watering, although during spring and early summer an occasional thorough watering during dry spells will improve yields. Don’t water once the bulbs are large and well-formed, as this could encourage rotting.

Snip off any flowers that form.

Plant

Garlic grows well in any sunny, fertile site. For every square metre/yard add 50g (2oz) of general-purpose fertiliser before planting.

It is best not to plant garlic cloves bought from a supermarket – they may carry disease and may not be suited to the climate. Instead, buy them from a garden centre or mail order supplier.

Garlic is best planted in late autumn or early winter; the general rule of thumb is to plant cloves before Christmas.

Break up the bulbs and plant individual cloves just below the soil surface 15cm (6in) apart and in rows 30cm (12in) apart.

Prevent birds from pulling up the cloves by covering the rows with horticultural fleece.

Problems

Harvesting

Green leaves can be gathered green and used as a garnish or in salads, but the bulbs are harvested once the leaves have turned yellow.

Carefully lift them with a fork.

Lay out the bulbs to dry in an airy place. When rustling dry they can be stored in ventilated containers until you're ready to use them.

Often ‘top sets’ or garlic cloves form on the stalk. This is due to changeable weather in spring. Gather and use the top sets in the usual way.

Recipes

Greg Wallace tempts us with Chicken wings with salsa, which has plenty of garlic.

Chilli teams up with garlic for this tasty Chilli greens recipe.

Nigel Slater offers up this Oriental choy sum with oyster sauce.

Garlic is a key ingredient in these Spiced pork patties in lettuce leaves - you'll need four cloves.

Garlic, ginger and spring onion come together in this Thai-style brassica stir-fry.

Varieties

‘Solent White’ AGM: Very attractive bulbs that are well adapted to the British climate. The bulbs store well into the following spring.

‘Purple Wight’: An early garlic with purple-streaked bulbs. It is best used fresh as it doesn’t store well.

‘Arno’ AGM: An attractive garlic with ivory-white skin covering pink cloves. Stores well.

‘Spanish Roja’: An old cultivar with a strong flavour. The cloves are easy to peel and store well.

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