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Once a preserve of the French, garlic is now a mainstream crop on this side of the Channel. As this is prime time for planting we bring you our guide to garlic growing success

Pickling

Helpful tips
Pickled fruit and vegetables are a great accompaniment to cold meats, fish and cheese and are quite easy to make. The pickling method basically uses dry salt or brine (salted water) to draw out excess water which cin) sugar and 625ml
(1 pint) vinegar to 11¼2kg (3lb) fruit.

Did you know?

Garlic planted next to susceptible plants such as lettuce and roses is said to keep greenfly at bay. Planted with carrots it can confuse carrot fly, the scent of the garlic masking that of the carrots.

After a slow start, many Brits have taken to garlic with a zeal normally reserved for top-ranking veg such as spuds and brassicas – in fact more Britons now eat it, whether as the home-grown veg or an ingredient in convenience foods – than many far more traditional crops.

Although garlics are natives of warmer climes and indeed do benefit from a long, hot summer to ripen the bulbs, they also require a period of cold during the winter and so can be a very successful and worthwhile crop in the UK. In fact garlic can be just as easy to grow as onions, provided the right varieties are chosen to suit our cooler climate.
Cloves can be planted in the spring and this is possibly still the best time to start off your crop if you live in a cold area of the country, on poorly drained soil or garden in a very exposed site. However, for most of us, late summer/autumn planting is best as it gives the plants the longest possible growing season and that all important chilling period (at least a month below 10C/50F) to give the best bulbs.

Garlic also makes a good crop for growing in a polytunnel or greenhouse, the extra warmth extending the area in which it can be successfully grown.
Bulbs are offered in the autumn catalogues of most of the larger seed companies, but you will get a bigger choice from a specialist. Buying named varieties in this way is a better option to growing bulbs purchased from a supermarket, since the varieties on offer in the food shops for eating may not be the best for our climate.

Nutritional information

Garlic contains a number of important nutrients including iron, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium, plus trace elements and several vitamins (the ancient Egyptians took it to provide strength). However, it is also very useful for its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties and has been used to treat coughs, colds and chest infections for centuries. Garlic is thought to have effective cancer fighting properties and can help to lower cholesterol.

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