Garlic

Looking after it

Water: Garlic needs normal watering. Water it in dry spells in spring and early summer, while the bulbs are swelling. Stop once the leaves start to turn yellow. Always water the soil, not the leaves. Feeding: Garlic needs an average amount of food. Dig in about two bucketfuls of well-rotted manure or compost per square metre before planting. That is usually all it needs.

Harvest and keeping

Dig the bulbs up with a fork once the leaves turn yellow. Autumn-planted garlic is ready in early summer, spring-planted garlic a bit later. Don't wait too long, or the bulbs split open and won't keep well. Dry the bulbs in a single layer for two to four weeks, in the sun or an airy shed. Then keep them somewhere cool and dry. Hardneck types keep four to six months, softneck types up to a year.

What can go wrong

• Rust. Raised orange spots appear on the leaves, worst in damp weather. Space the plants out and water the soil, not the leaves. Clear the leaves away at harvest.
• White rot. The leaves turn yellow and wilt while a fluffy white mould grows on the base of the bulb. There is no cure, so dig up the sick plants and put them in the bin. Don't grow garlic, onions or leeks in that bed for many years.
• Bulbs without cloves. You get one round bulb instead of cloves, usually because the winter wasn't cold enough. The bulb is still good to eat. Plant in autumn next time.