Allium sativum 'Early Purple Wight'

A staple ingredient in a variety of dishes, garlic, Allium sativum, is easy to grow, bearing strong-flavoured bulbs that last well into autumn.

Garlic falls into two basic types: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck varieties generally produce larger bulbs and have a more intense 'garlicky' flavour than softneck varieties, but don't store as well.

Plant garlic in either spring or autumn – simply separate the cloves of the bulb and plant them individually at a depth of 5cm, spacing them 10cm apart. If you garden on heavier soils, it's worth planting garlic in raised beds, or stating the cloves off in modular trays first, to transplant at a later date.