Autumn Planting on the Allotment....

Now is the time to buy your garlic ready to plant it in November. 

Some years I tried to plant it later but that has never been as successful as when I planted it in November.

• Garlic likes to grow in a place that will be sunny spot in a well drained soil. 

Yes I know, we cannot order the sun basically it prefers not to be in the shade and the sun will help to 'ripen' it. Do not plant it in an area which will be waterlogged in the winter months.

You can grow garlic in the ground or in containers including pots.

You will find that the planting instructions  for planting depth and distance apart come with the garlic that you purchase.

If you have never grown garlic before you may not know that you  carefully split the garlic bulb open  remove the individual cloves and plant them separately.  the cold weather will help them to divide and produce a bulbs with cloves of garlic inside them like the original garlic you started out with. You will find that different varieties have different flavours and that some are known to be better than other types if you wish to store them to use later.

That is it really except if you are looking for a place to buy you garlic bulbs to grow your own here is a link to a reputable supplier -   buy garlic from Thompson & Morgan 

UK gardeners - You can plant garlic this month

Growing garlic is fairly easy to do. You plant the individual cloves of garlic, they need to be growing through the colder weather as this is what makes the cloves divide into new cloves of garlic.

Planting Garlic

Plant your garlic between October and February.

 (in U.K other countries planting times may vary).

The garlic needs the cold weather to form the individual cloves. 

Now is a good time before the ground becomes more difficult to work. ( frost and rain make it difficult sometimes).

Plant the garlic cloves in a  patch of garden or vegetable plot in a sunny bit of the garden. 

First clear the weeds before you plant your garlic.

 You could try growing some garlic in a plant pot if you do not have a patch in the garden to plant it in.

Growing garlic is easy, so you can save money by growing your own garlic.

Buying Garlic.  

You can buy them from your local garden centres or on on line. 

There are different varieties these either red or white skinned.

Some varieties of garlic store better than others.

If you cannot find bulbs to buy you can use the ones you buy in a supermarket but the varieties there might not be as suitable for growing in your climate as they will have been imported. 

Select plump healthy garlic bulbs when buying them.

To Grow Garlic.

Plant garlic 10cm. apart with 23-30 cm between the rows  if you are short of space or you can plant the cloves : 20cm apart with 20cm between rows

 you may get bigger garlic to harvest because of the extra room they have to grow and with more space in between them  you will  find it easier to weed the rows.

To plant  split the bulbs into individual cloves.

 Gently break them apart with your fingers, now place one clove of garlic into each planting space with the tips of the garlic just below the surface. 

Firm gently, into the soil with your hands.

Check them until they are established and keep the area weed free as they grow, do not over water. Harvest the garlic when ready in June, July or August.

Planning what to buy to grow in the coming season... potatoes, onions, shallots and garlic...

Now is the time to be buying seed potatoes, shallots, onion sets and garlic for planting soon.

I will be planting Pentland Javelin seed potatoes for my first earlies later this year, they grow well in my sandy soil.
If you leave the purchase or ordering of them too late then your choice is more limited as they sometimes sell out of the more popular varieties of seed potato. 

Shallots are used in cooking here as often as onions and I am hoping to buy some of the 'banana' shaped ones this year as well as having a nice flavour I like