THE organised gardener may have started their garlic in November, but the rest of us can plant now. There are two main types of garlic – softneck (Allium sativum) and hardneck (A. sativum var. ophioscorodon) – so what kind of care do they need?
Perfect planting
Whole bulbs (heads) should be split into individual cloves just before planting (they dry out excessively, otherwise). Don’t bruise them as this can cause rots. Only plant the largest plump cloves as these give the biggest yields (pot smaller ones up as garlic chives), positioning them 3in (8cm) deep and 6in (16cm) apart in grids (wider on lighter soils). Site in full sun, and add plenty of organic matter to the plot, plus a little bonemeal.
“Site in full sun and add plenty of organic matter”
Garlic doesn’t have an extensive root system, yet it needs steady moisture
