Questions & Answers

It's true that to get the best garlic, you should plant in autumn, but after the ice and snow of the last few months, I think any self-respecting garlic bulb would be cursing the gardener who planted it in October.

Don't dismay, there is hope. Garlic can be planted in spring (but get a move on).

Find the biggest bulbs you can at the supermarket, remove the outer skin and separate into individual cloves.

You can plant them straight into prepared ground outside, or you can choose to grow them in a container, where you, the gardener, have more control over their watering, feeding and general maintenance.

Plant each clove upright about an inch below the soil (compost) surface, and about four inches apart.

Garlic thrives in a rich soil, so early next month, beef it up with a general purpose fertiliser.

Foliage should start to appear in late April, so then it's simply a case of feeding, watering and weeding until most of the foliage has turned yellowy-brown, probably towards the end of August.

Just lift each plant from the soil, clean it and store it.

Any that show signs of damage can either be thrown away or used immediately.