Take gamble of growing garlic

It may seem mad, and it may prove to be nothing more than a waste of time, but anyone wanting to gamble with growing garlic should go ahead and have a go. Normally, I’d say start the process in October, but sometimes the weather gods can take pity on the poor gardener – which is why I have just planted up a couple of pots of the cook’s best friend.

Notice that I haven’t gone the whole hog and created a garlic bed, but the beauty of using containers is that they can be moved (even into a cold greenhouse or conservatory) if circumstances demand it.

Garlic, like all members of the onion family, loves a rich, deeply-dug soil, so by planting the cloves in deep, deep pots filled with garden compost with the added bonus of a general organic fertiliser, they should thrive.

It’s quite possible to buy seed bulbs of garlic, but most people will opt for the simpler option – supermarket-bought garlic. It may not crop as heavily, but it should still provide a decent harvest.

Split the bulbs and choose the fattest cloves for planting; what’s left can be used in the kitchen.

If you are planting in pots, just position them in the sunniest, warmest spot in the garden. If, however, you aim to create a bed, make sure the soil is well dug and enriched. To make it even more inviting and garlic friendly, cover it with cloches.

Then make a few shallow drills and pop in the cloves (pointed ends facing the sky) two or three inches apart and earth them up so that their noses are just peeking out of the soil.

That should be it; the cloches don’t have to stay on (that’s a matter of choice), but make sure there is a decent flow of air. And cloves which start to push themselves out of the soil, or which attract the attention of inquisitive and hungry birds, can be persuaded, gently, to return to their proper growing position.

Hopefully, each clove will fatten up and ripen ready for harvesting next summer. And if you are desperate, you can always lift one or two early.