How to... Grow onions and garlic; Gardening.

Byline: with David Domoney

SOME gardeners can be intimidated by the thought of growing garlic and onions. But they are simple and rewarding - even for beginners.

Planting them in the autumn will give you earlier and bigger crops next year.

Key ingredient A sunny, well-drained site is essential. Poor soil should be improved by adding homemade compost and coarse grit - but avoid planting on freshly manured ground because this can cause rotting. Onions are best suited to an open veg patch but you can grow a row or two in large, deep containers or raised beds - though not growbags. Small garlic crops suit containers. You can grow onions from seed, but my advice is to start from baby onions, called sets. They are quicker and easier and grow better in the cold.

Ground rules Plant the onion sets, with just the tips showing, about 10cm apart. Gently push them into the soil and firm around them. Water when it is dry and feed throughout the autumn and into spring with a general fertiliser.

glassware for growing Green photosynthesize clear glass them to For garlic, split the bulb into individual cloves and plant them upright 5-10cm deep. Make sure the basal plate - the bottom of the clove - is facing downwards.

In general, onions grow best if you keep them well weeded. Use a sharp hoe to cut off intruders - pulling or digging weeds up can damage onions' shallow roots.

Once the soil has warmed in the spring, put down mulch between plants to discourage weeds and hold moisture in the soil.

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Top of the chops As soon as the leaves start to yellow and die back, onions and garlic are ready for harvesting. Carefully lift bulbs from the soil without removing the foliage.

Lay the bulbs, complete with foliage, in a warm, place for a couple of weeks to dry out.

Make sure the foliage is completely dry before storing the crop in a dark, cool, dry spot. Place in some hanging in nets.

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