A Simple Guide to Planting Autumn Garlic
There’s nothing quite like homegrown garlic — the smell when you pull it from the soil, the flavour it adds to your cooking, and the satisfaction of knowing you grew it yourself.
Autumn is the perfect time to plant garlic, giving bulbs plenty of time to root before winter and produce big, flavourful cloves next summer.
When to Plant
Plant garlic between October and December while the soil is still workable. The cold weather helps form larger bulbs.
Choosing Your Garlic
Pick up seed garlic from the Garden Centre — not supermarket bulbs.
We recommend ‘Solent Wight’ for reliability and flavour, or ‘Carcassonne Wight’ for a bit of spice.
How to Plant
Break bulbs into individual cloves.
Plant each clove 2–3cm deep and 15cm apart, pointed end up.
Choose a sunny, well-drained spot — raised beds or containers work perfectly.
Water lightly and mulch with straw or compost to protect over winter.
Looking After Your Crop
Keep weeds down, and water during dry spells in spring. Stop watering when the leaves start to yellow — that’s your cue to harvest in early summer!
At Harvest Time
Lift bulbs gently and dry them in a warm, airy spot for a couple of weeks.
Then hang them in the kitchen and enjoy the reward of your autumn planting all year round.
