We’re excited to announce that our new season onion and garlic sets have just arrived in store! Autumn is the perfect time to get them in the ground so you can enjoy strong, healthy crops ready for harvesting next summer.
Why Plant Onion & Garlic Sets?
Growing from sets (small immature bulbs) is the easiest and most reliable way to grow onions and garlic. They establish quickly, are less prone to disease than seed, and give you a head start on the season. Plus, there’s nothing better than pulling up your own homegrown alliums – fresher, more flavourful, and more rewarding than shop-bought alternatives.
Our Varieties This Season
We’ve got a great selection of onion and garlic sets to suit every kitchen:
Onions
- Senshyu Yellow – a reliable Japanese overwintering onion with a golden skin.
- Radar – excellent cold tolerance, producing firm, mild onions.
- Electric – striking red onion, perfect for slicing raw or cooking.
- Autumn Champion – a traditional overwintering variety, producing large, flavoursome bulbs.
- Red Winter – deep red skins with a strong flavour, great for salads and roasting.
Garlic
- Jermor – a superb French variety with a sweet, nutty flavour.
- Messidrome – produces plump, white bulbs that store well.
- Germidour – a softneck garlic with purple-tinged skins and a mild taste.
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Elephant Garlic – not a true garlic, but a mild giant! Great for roasting whole.
Softneck vs Hardneck Garlic – What’s the Difference?
When choosing garlic sets, you may notice the terms softneck and hardneck:
Softneck Garlic – These varieties don’t produce a hard central stem, which makes their tops flexible (hence “softneck”). They typically form larger bulbs with many smaller cloves and have excellent storage life — often keeping for 6–9 months. Softneck garlic is also the type that can be braided for attractive kitchen storage. (Messidrome and Germidour fall into this group.)
Hardneck Garlic – These develop a firm central stalk (called a scape), which can be harvested and eaten in early summer. Hardneck varieties usually produce fewer but larger cloves with a stronger flavour. They don’t store quite as long but are prized by chefs for their depth of taste.
Both types are easy to grow and well worth planting — the choice comes down to whether you prefer long storage or stronger flavour!
Planting & Growing Tips
When to Plant: Now through November is ideal for overwintering onion and garlic sets.
Where to Plant: Choose a sunny, well-drained site with fertile soil. Raised beds work especially well.
How to Plant:
- Onions – plant sets 10cm apart, just deep enough so the tip is level with the soil.
- Garlic – break bulbs into individual cloves, plant each clove 15cm apart with the pointy end up, 2–3cm deep.
Care: Keep beds weed-free and water during very dry spells. Both onions and garlic are low-maintenance once established.
Harvest: Onions are usually ready by mid-summer when the tops begin to yellow and fall. Garlic can be lifted once the leaves start to die back in early to mid-summer.
The Benefits of Growing Your Own
Freshness: Harvest straight from your garden when you need them.
Flavour: Homegrown onions and garlic are richer and more aromatic than supermarket produce.
Storage: Both crops keep well, providing you with homegrown flavours well into winter.
Satisfaction: Few things are as rewarding as cooking with ingredients you’ve nurtured from set to harvest.
🌱 Pop into the garden centre today to pick up your onion and garlic sets – plant them now, and your kitchen will be stocked with delicious, homegrown flavours next year!
For more information about growing garlic please visit the RHS Website
For more information about growing onions please visit the RHS Website
