{"id":4062,"date":"2025-07-09T20:03:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T19:03:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whetstoneallotments.co.uk\/?page_id=4062"},"modified":"2025-10-15T20:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T19:00:28","slug":"october","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whetstoneallotments.co.uk\/?page_id=4062","title":{"rendered":"October"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Autumn Alliums:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prepping and Planting for a Flavourful Year Ahead<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Autumn is the perfect time to get your alliums in the ground \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose the right spot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2014 alliums don’t like wet feet over winter!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare your sets and cloves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pick out the firmest, healthiest bulbs \u2014 whether it’s garlic cloves or onion and shallot sets \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give garlic the cold treatment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Garlic needs a spell of cold weather \u2014 known as stratification \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n