October

Autumn is the perfect time to get your alliums in the ground — that’s your garlic, onions, shallots, and overwintering leeks. A little effort now will reward you with strong, healthy plants ready to burst into growth as soon as spring arrives.

Choose the right spot

Alliums love a sunny, well-drained bed, ideally one that hasn’t grown other alliums in the past year or two. This helps prevent pests and diseases such as white rot.

Before planting, fork over the soil and remove any weeds or large stones. If your soil is heavy, work in a little compost or sharp sand to improve drainage — alliums don’t like wet feet over winter!

Prepare your sets and cloves

Pick out the firmest, healthiest bulbs — whether it’s garlic cloves or onion and shallot sets — and avoid any that feel soft or have signs of mould. If you’re planting garlic, gently separate the cloves but keep the papery skins intact.

Give garlic the cold treatment

Garlic needs a spell of cold weather — known as stratification — to form proper bulbs later on. If you’re planting before November, nature will take care of this for you over winter. But if you’re planning to plant later, you can easily mimic that chill.

Simply place your garlic bulbs or individual cloves in a breathable bag (like paper or mesh) with a small amount of slightly damp soil, then pop them in the fridge for 3-4 weeks before planting out. This gentle pre-chilling gives them the cold cue they need to divide into nice, plump bulbs once they’re in the ground.

Planting time

• Garlic – Oct to Dec: Push individual cloves into the soil about 2.5cm (1 inch) deep, pointed end up, spacing them roughly 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart.
• Winter Hardy Onion & Shallot sets – Oct to Nov: Pop these just below the surface, tip showing, 10-15cm apart.
• Overwintering Leeks – Sept to Oct: Space them about 15cm apart in trenches or holes around 15cm deep, then water them in well.

Aftercare

Keep an eye out for birds, who seem to think onion sets make excellent toys! A bit of fleece or netting can help deter them until the roots establish. Other than that, alliums are fairly low maintenance — just keep the area weed-free so they don’t have to compete for light and nutrients.

With a little care now, your beds will be set up for success through the colder months — and by next summer, you’ll be reaping the rewards in the form of full, flavourful bulbs ready for the kitchen.

Seasonal Tips

• Make a note of your successes and failures so you can plan to do even better next season.
• Clear away dead plant material and compost it – except diseased plants and perennial weeds which you should burn or take off the site.
• Harvest summer vegetables and lift potatoes and beetroots before the first frost.
• Cut pumpkins and winter squashes – cure them so they will keep over winter by leaving them in the sun to harden their skins.
• Cover autumn salads and Oriental leaves with cloches or fleece to protect from frost.
• Sow broad beans seeds outside or start them in pots.
• Plant rhubarb and bare-root fruit bushes, such as gooseberries and currants.
• Plant grapevines and strawberries.
• Take down and store supports for beans, peas and tomatoes.
• Lift potatoes and beetroots before the first frost.
• Plant garlic, onion and shallot sets. Cover with fleece to protect from birds and the allium moth. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=643
• Build a compost heap https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/compost
• Plant green manures to improve your soil. https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/green-manures