Garlic ‘Kingsland Wight’ (Autumn Planting)

Why Plant Garlic in Autumn?

Planting ‘Kingsland Wight’ in autumn gives the cloves time to establish roots before winter, while the colder months provide the low temperatures needed for good bulb development. If you miss autumn planting, this hardneck can also be planted into early spring.

What You'll Need

A garden fork or trowel • Well-rotted garden compost • Concentrated Slow-Release Onion, Garlic & Shallot Feed Granules • Horticultural fleece if birds are a problem • Horticultural grit if you have heavy soil

Prepare Your Soil

Choose an open, sunny position with fertile, free-draining soil. ‘Kingsland Wight’ dislikes wet conditions, so good drainage is particularly important through winter. If your soil is heavy, work in plenty of organic matter and horticultural grit to improve the structure and drainage, or plant in a raised bed or container.

How to Plant Garlic Cloves

Keep the bulbs whole until you're ready to plant, then carefully separate them into individual cloves, leaving the papery skins intact. Plant each clove with the flat base down and pointed end upwards, with the tip approximately 2–2.5cm below the soil surface. Space the cloves around 15cm apart, with 30cm between rows.

Watering & Feeding

Water during prolonged dry spells, particularly in spring as the bulbs begin to develop. Avoid waterlogged conditions and stop watering as the crop approaches maturity to allow the bulbs to ripen and dry naturally.

Keep It Weed Free

Garlic has relatively shallow roots and doesn't compete well with weeds. Weed regularly by hand or hoe carefully between the plants, taking care not to disturb the developing bulbs.

Growing Garlic in Pots & Containers

‘Kingsland Wight’ can also be grown in a large container, which is particularly useful if your garden soil is heavy or poorly drained. Choose a pot at least 30cm deep with good drainage and allow around 15cm between plants.

Good Companions

Garlic takes up relatively little room above ground, so it fits easily into a productive vegetable plot alongside crops such as carrots, beetroot and leafy salads. Give each plant enough space and make sure neighbouring crops don't shade or crowd the developing garlic.

Make the Most of Your Plot

Quick-growing radishes and salad leaves can be grown nearby and harvested while your garlic is still developing. Once ‘Kingsland Wight’ has been lifted in summer, use the cleared ground for later-sown salads and other quick-growing crops.

Crop Rotation

Garlic belongs to the allium family, alongside onions, shallots and leeks. Avoid repeatedly growing these crops in the same ground, as they can be affected by some of the same soil-borne pests and diseases.

Planning Ahead

Where practical, leave three to four years before growing garlic, onions, shallots or leeks in the same ground again. Keeping your alliums moving around the vegetable plot is a simple way to reduce the build-up of potential problems in the soil.

When to Harvest Garlic

‘Kingsland Wight’ can be ready to harvest from late spring into summer. Watch the plants rather than relying on the calendar alone – when the lower leaves begin to yellow and die back, the bulbs are approaching maturity.

How to Harvest Garlic

Choose a dry day and use a garden fork to loosen the soil beneath each plant before gently lifting the bulbs. Avoid pulling hard on the stems or damaging the bulbs if you're planning to store your crop.

Drying Your Garlic

Leave freshly harvested plants somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated until the outer skins and foliage are thoroughly dry. Curing the bulbs properly is particularly important if you want to make the most of their good storage potential.

Storing Garlic

Once cured, keep your ‘Kingsland Wight’ bulbs somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated. Under good storage conditions they can keep well into winter, so use any damaged bulbs first and save the best intact bulbs for later.

Rich, Intense Garlic Flavour

‘Kingsland Wight’ has a rich, intense flavour that works particularly well in dishes where you want the garlic to stand out. Crush or chop the cloves into pasta sauces, curries, marinades, casseroles and hearty vegetable dishes.

Easy to Prepare

The large cloves are easy to peel, making this a particularly handy garlic when a recipe calls for several cloves. Slice them into traybakes and stir-fries, crush them into sauces or leave them whole for slower cooking.

Roasting Garlic

Roasting softens the stronger garlic flavour and brings out a sweeter, mellower character. Roast the cloves whole, then squeeze them into mashed potatoes, soups and sauces or spread them onto warm bread.

Top Tip

Large cloves can pack plenty of flavour, so don't judge how much garlic you need by clove number alone. Start with less than you might use from a smaller-cloved variety and add more to taste.

Understanding Your Garlic Bulbs

Garlic is supplied as a whole bulb made up of individual cloves. Before planting, carefully split the bulb apart and plant each clove separately. Each healthy clove can develop into a complete new garlic bulb, turning a couple of planting bulbs into a much larger summer harvest.

Bulb Size & Clove Numbers

Garlic is a natural product, so bulb size and the number and size of cloves will vary. A bulb with fewer cloves isn't necessarily smaller or poorer quality – it may simply contain fewer, larger cloves. Your pack contains 2 bulbs with approximately 10–12 cloves per bulb.

Hardneck Garlic

‘Kingsland Wight’ is a hardneck garlic. Hardneck varieties tend to produce fewer, larger cloves around a firm central stem. They also produce a flowering stem called a scape, which can be harvested while young and used in the kitchen.

Softneck Garlic

Softneck garlic doesn't have the rigid central stem found in hardnecks and generally produces more cloves of varying sizes. Its flexible dried foliage can be plaited, and softneck varieties generally have a longer storage life than hardnecks.

When Your Garlic Arrives

Keep the bulbs whole until you're ready to plant, then carefully separate them into individual cloves, leaving their papery skins intact. If you can't plant straight away, keep the bulbs somewhere cool, dry and well ventilated until you're ready to get them into the ground.