Connoisseurs garlic collection for autumn planting
garlic collection
- Position: Full sun
- Soil: Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Rate of growth: Average
- Hardiness: Fully hardy
Closely related to onions and leeks, garlic is used to add flavour to many savoury dishes. It has also been widely used for its health benefits, which are said to include reducing blood pressure, cleansing the blood and even giving the immune system a natural boost.
Each collection contains one head (or bulb) of each of the garlics below, and each head can be split up into several cloves before planting.
garlic 'Solent White': A strong-flavoured British garlic, that is largely grown on the Isle of Wight. It has become a very popular variety which is well adapted to the British climate and produces a good crops of large bulbs with plump tasty cloves. One of the best garlics for plaiting and storing, as if kept cool and dry, the bulbs will store for months after they have been harvested. If planted early in the season, you can expect to be lifting and using the mature bulbs from July.
garlic 'Rhapsody Wight': Bursting with purple pride, ‘Rhapsody Wight’ is the earliest softneck variety ready to harvest. Planted in autumn, this vivid garlic springs forth in a spectacular early summer style with the bulb's brilliant purple streaks and mottling visible as it pushes itself from the earth. Expect to uncover 5-12 large easy-to-peel cloves tucked within each showy wrapper. Beyond its visual bravado, this garlic tempts the taste buds with a fresh and lively flavour, adding punch and personality to soups, sauces, roasts or any dish in need of a little flair.
garlic 'Kingsland Wight': A garlic that embodies versatility and flavour, that is reliable in colder, more northerly regions of the UK. This hardneck variety with its regal ties was first cultivated near Toulouse in southern France, bringing old world charm to modern gardens. Planted in autumn or early spring, a long growing season allows the full flavour to develop before harvest in September. Unlike other hardneck varieties, ‘Kingsland Wight’ offers an abundance of large easy-to-peel cloves tucked within each papery sheath. Its rich, nuanced flavour elevates soups, sauces, roasts or anything needing a boost.
Plant the cloves (pointy side up) 2cm deep from October to March (if frost permits) at 15cm intervals. Subsequent rows should be spaced at 30cm intervals. Gently lift when the leaves start to yellow, and leave them on the surface of the soil (or in a bright shed) to ripen before storing them in a light, airy position, which is dry and frost free. There are not many varieties that show resistance to rust, but one way round this is to plant your garlic early, so that by May when rust is usually getting busy the garlic is well developed.
- Pets: TOXIC if eaten; Humans: Skin irritant/allergen