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Know your alliums
From elephant garlic to the sandwich onion, MAT COWARD is top of the crops

AS EARLY autumn harvests create gaps in the vegetable bed, it’s time to order onions, garlic, elephant garlic and shallots for planting in September and October.

All alliums that are grown through the winter need to go into open ground, where they won’t be overshadowed, to take advantage of the available light during the short days.

They must also be in soil that drains well, so that they’re not spending long periods sitting in puddles or saturated earth. Other than that, any ordinarily fertile soil will do.

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