GET AHEAD WITH GARLIC

This could be a sad time of year on the veg plot. A time when the last of the summer veg is harvested, leaving the allotment looking empty and forlorn. But there is another way of looking at it – and that is that you not only have trugfuls of fresh summer veg to harvest and store, you also have space to plant or sow your overwintering crops for some early pickings next year.

Foremost among these are alliums, including garlic. This autumn stalwart can be planted from October to the beginning of December and beyond and will take all the weather can throw at it to be harvested next year from June onwards, often