Why companion planting?

Before planting garlic bulbs in your garden, it's worth thinking about where you position them, as companion planting can not only help your garlic plants thrive, but also benefit the surrounding plants too! Garlic is a natural deterrent to common garden pests, thanks to the sulphur it accumulates in the garlic bulb which acts as a fungicide and deters pests such as aphids.

What should I plant garlic with?

When planting your garlic, it's worth noting that it companions well with the following plants:

• Tomatoes
• Fruit trees
• Potatoes
• Cabbages
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Carrots

However, it's best to keep garlic away from peas and beans as it may stunt the growth of these crops.

How can garlic benefit other plants?

If you want to give your homegrown roses a little extra help, pop a few garlic cloves in the rose beds to help deter aphids, snails, caterpillars and the other insects intent on destroying your lovely flowers. Plant three to four cloves in a circle around each rose bush, and the sulphur present in the garlic will disperse into the soil and be taken up by the rose - making it a less palatable treat for little bugs.

Does garlic produce flowers?

For a beautiful display of curly topped scapes and allium flowers, choose our hardneck garlic varieties, such as Kingsland Wight or Elephant Garlic.

Explore our full selection of hardneck garlic seed varieties

When is the best time to grow garlic?

Growing garlic could not be easier and October-November is the perfect time to plant our Isle of Wight Garlic autumn planting varieties. But if you miss planting garlic in the autumn, it's not too late for a summer harvest of homegrown garlic: simply choose our Spring-Planting garlic bulbs - such as Solent Wight, Picardy Wight or Mersley Wight, and get them in the ground from January-March. If in any doubt, consult our online Garlic Grower's Calendar for a breakdown of when to plant different varieties of garlic seed.

Which variety should I choose to grow?

Hardneck varieties have the benefit of producing a curly scape which then turns into a beautiful allium flower - unless you decide to harvest the scapes to eat as we do here on the farm (The Garlic Farm restaurant serves scapes in a tempura batter, with our Sweet Chilli & Garlic dipping sauce). Elephant Garlic produces huge purple allium flowers which many gardeners plant simply for their beauty. If you're unsure what type of garlic to grow, try our mixed garlic growing packs for the perfect introduction to garlic growing.