Spice up your vegetable plot with pungent plants

URBAN FARMER:Peppers and chillies are being harvested and the time has come to plant garlic bulbs, writes FIONNUALA FALLON

THERE IS no such thing," said the American writer Arthur Baer, "as a little garlic." Certainly there can be few other foodstuffs as robustly odoriferous as this bulbous member of the onion family.

Yet we love it, not for its reputed health-enhancing properties (it's believed to be antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial) but just because it tastes so damn good.

And so you have the inevitable dilemma of the garlic-eater; the pleasure of consumption followed by the nose-wrinkling awfulness the next day as they (or rather those close to them) suffer the morning-after breath of a clove or two too many.

Those urban farmers who proudly count themselves as garlic-lovers should take note that now is the time to start planting the individual cloves, or seed garlic as it is called, if you want to produce a plentiful harvest next year.

For that old saying as regards garlic (the one which advises planting on the shortest day of the year) is just not true. In fact, this hardy plant is slow growing and so the earlier you get the cloves in the ground, the larger and plumper the bulbs will become at harvest time.

The exception to this general rule is for those who garden on exceptionally wet and heavy, poorly drained soil, for garlic is prone to rot in these conditions. Instead, wait until the spring and choose one of the soft-neck varieties of garlic that are suitable for planting at this time of year (yields will be lower than for those sown in autumn, but the flavour is stronger and the bulb can be stored for longer).

Either plant the cloves in raised ridges/drills to improve drainage or plant the individual cloves in small pots (three in a 15cm pot, eight to a 20cm pot and eight-10 in a 25cm pot) and place them outside in a sunny spot.

Keep them watered, because as much as garlic hates excessive winter wet, it also requires a certain level of moisture if it's to grow well.

In the OPW's walled garden in the Phoenix Park, gardeners Meeda Downey and Brian Quinn will start planting the bulbs in the next week or so, although they'll have to be careful to keep the crop well away from this summer's onion beds, which fell victim to a serious case of the fungal disease, onion white-rot, earlier this year.

"Because garlic is a member of the onion family it's vulnerable to the same pests and diseases," explains Meeda. "And as the disease lives in the soil for years, we'll have to be really careful not to give it a chance to spread throughout the garden."

As with onions, it's also important to plant only garlic bulbs that have been certified free of disease - so don't use garlic straight from the supermarket, tempting as it may be.

Instead, most good garden centres will stock a selection of seed garlic, including varieties suitable for both autumn and spring planting. Varieties suitable for autumn planting include Wight Cristo, Purple Heritage Moldovan, Lautrec Wight, Chesnok Wight and Aquila Wight while varieties such as Early Purple Wight, Albigensian Wight, Provence Wight and Solent Wight can generally be planted from late September right through to the following March or even April.

The OPW gardeners advise planting garlic in well-prepared, well-drained, fertile soil in full sun, using a dibber to make small, individual planting holes.

"When you're ready to begin planting, gently break the bulbs into individual cloves, but be really careful not to bruise or damage them in any way, as the clove might become diseased and end up rotting in the ground," warns Brian. "It doesn't like an acid soil either, so you'll probably have to lime the ground where this is a problem."

The cloves should be placed, root-end downwards (this is important), into each hole and covered with at least 2.5cm of soil (in light soils, increase this up to 10cm).

Depending on the size of the clove, planting distance should be about 8cm-10cm apart, with rows anywhere between 25cm-30cm apart.

"The other important thing to remember about garlic is that it needs a period of cold in order for it to grow," explains Meeda. "That's why autumn-sown crops do particularly well. So there's no point in trying to grow it indoors on a sunny window sill as it actually needs to be exposed to the cold winter frosts. But you can give it a high-potash feed in the spring to help growth along. And watch out for weeds."

For more on growing garlic, as well as gaining access to a dedicated "garlic store", great garlic recipes and a garlic blog, check out the website of The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight (www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk).

Owner and garlic farmer Colin Boswell and his family have been growing and selling many different varieties of garlic, including seed garlic and the impressively huge Elephant garlic, for over 35 years.

A self-confessed garlicophile, Boswell has travelled to the Munzur Valley in north-east Turkey in search of what he calls "the mother of all garlic" or Allium tuncelianumand has even posted a video of his travels on YouTube. "My life is garlic," he says simply, "and I will travel anywhere to discover more about it."

Which really just goes to show you how very addictive this pungent little bulb can be.

Speaking of pungent bulbs, as mentioned earlier, the onion crop in the OPW's walled garden was destroyed this summer by onion white rot.

But those lucky urban farmers who successfully grew a great crop of onions or shallots may now be wondering how best to store them for the winter.

The first rule is to make sure that the bulbs are dry - given the prevailing Irish weather, this is probably best done by spreading them out indoors in a shed or glasshouse for a few days.

While plaiting the bulbs together seems like a nice idea, in practice it can be frustratingly tricky and time-consuming.

A good trick instead is to store them in stockings, which allows air to circulate and prevents rot setting in. Tie a knot or a piece of string between the individual onions to keep them separate: the smaller shallots can be tied into little bundles, and hung somewhere dark, cool and frost-free.

Gentlemen urban farmers may be a little shy about purchasing said stockings, so get a lady friend to do it for you, but be sure to ask for a large size in a high denier (this makes them more durable). Just don't be surprised if you get a few raised eyebrows.

Aside from onions, OPW gardeners Meeda and Brian continue to busily harvest all kinds of vegetables in the walled kitchen garden, including the last of the Rooster potatoes and a nice selection of chilli and bell peppers, but storage isn't really an issue for them.

"Any spare produce goes to the Phoenix Café," explains Meeda, "so we don't really store any of the vegetables over the winter. But at home, we store the potatoes in a cool, dark shed, spread out in a single layer.

"I was always told to only lift the potato crop when the weather is dry, to handle them gently and rub any excess soil off the individual tubers also. That way, there's less chance of them rotting or bruising. And take precautions against rats and mice, of course."

Those urban farmers with less space can store their potatoes in sacks (as above, in a dark, cool but frost-free room or shed) - the only problem here is getting your hands on suitable sacks, which should be of double-strength paper or hessian but not plastic.

The Mr Middleton Garden Shop in Dublin (01-8603674, www.mrmiddleton.com) sells 25kg hessian sacks for exactly this purpose, at €3.50 each.

Alternatively, make your own out of hessian, which can be bought by the metre from fabric shops such as Murphy Sheehy in Dublin (they have shops in both Dún Laoghaire; 01-2020643, and Castle Market, just off Grafton Street; 01-6770316).

Don't worry if your sewing skills aren't up to much - all you need is some strong thread or even fine string, a large darning needle and a vague idea of how to stitch.

If the latter is a problem, you could either try enlisting the help of a more knowledgeable friend, or Google "running stitch", but at this point, the gentlemen urban farmers among you are probably getting really worried. Ladies' stockings, stitching . . . whatever next, you might wonder?

• The OPW's Victorian walled kitchen garden is in the grounds of the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, beside the Phoenix Park Café and Ashtown Castle. The gardens are open daily from 10am to 4.30pm
• Next week Urban Farmerin Propertywill cover foraging
• Fionnuala Fallon is a garden designer and writer

What to sow and plant this week:

Sow outside now:

Broad beans, hardy peas, turnips for turnip tops,/ greens next spring (mild areas).

Sow under cover now:

Early summer cauliflowers, winter lettuce and many cut-and-come-again crops such as oriental saladini, rocket, cress, mustard, salad rape, salad rocket, saladini, texsel, turnips for turnip tops/ greens (colder areas).

Plant outside now:

Spring cabbage, autumn onion setts, garlic, winter lettuce.