The seed catalogues are dropping on the mat and the emails are pinging in my inbox reminding me that I need to get my seed orders in.

I normally do this in January, the quietest time in the garden but there is one order that needs getting in before then (as well as your spring bulbs which I am SURE you have already done!!) that would be for onions, shallot and garlic sets.

Best to get them in the ground now as they like a cold period for proper bulb development, they should be strongly growing by late spring as the lengthening days trigger the formation of bulbs – the more leaf at this time - the better the bulb will be.

Don’t be tempted to plant garlic brought from a supermarket – they may carry disease and may not be suited to our climate.

The choice then is whether to grow from seeds or sets? Both methods have their pros or cons, for convenience most gardeners choose to grow from sets which are immature onions, grown for planting, that can be planted straight out in the plot.

The sets slowly swell into large onions, shallot and garlic sets split, forming a clump of bulbs. Sets are less likely to be affected by disease, however they are more prone to bolting (when a flower is produced instead of a bulb).

The advantage of growing from seed is it is much cheaper and they are less susceptible to bolting but then you will need to put in more time & effort to plant seeds, water and nuture them.

So the choice is yours and once you have made your decision here’s how to plant them:

Sets:

Choose a sunny, well-drained site and simply push the sets into loose earth, leaving only the tips of the sets on show. Birds may try uprooting them so you can fleece to prevent this until they have become established. Allow 5-10 cm between sets and 30cm between rows. Shallots 15-20cm apart in rows 30-45cms apart. Garlic break up the bulbs and plant the same as Shallots.

Seeds:

Sow in modules in mid-late winter and keep in the greenhouse at 10-16 degrees. Harden off before planting out in spring. You can also sow direct 1.3cm deep in rows 20m apart. Thin to 10cm apart. Sow shallots a little bit later from early to mid spring, seed grown plant will only produce a single bulb.

They will benefit from some potash in February and water well through the growing period stopping a few weeks before harvest to allow the bulb to ripen off.