Garlic is really easy to grow and November is a good time for planting. Garlic requires a long period of cold weather to ensure the formation of cloves, which is why autumn plantings tends to produce better garlic than spring plantings.
Garlic for growing, can be bought at any of the local garden centres, assuming you can find it amongst all the Christmas merchandise!
Planting directly into the soil
If conditions have not been too wet, Garlic can be planted straight into the ground.
Break the bulb up into individual cloves and plant each clove with the flat basal plate facing downwards. Space according to the instructions on the packet. If your soil is light and sandy, then plant the clove deep (10cm). If your soil is clayey and heavy, then plant shallow (2-5cm).
Planting garlic directly into the ground
Planting in modules
If the ground is very wet, or you live in a very cold part of the country, garlic can be planted into modules and kept in a cold frame over winter.
Fill a modular tray with multi-purpose compost and plant each clove in an individual section. Water well and place the tray in a cold frame or cool greenhouse for the winter. The garlic should be ready to plant out around about March/April time.
Planting garlic in a modular tray
