Alan Titchmarsh has advised UK gardeners to plant two specific vegetables this October: onions and garlic. The 77-year-old television veteran, known for BBC Gardeners’ World and Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, shared the recommendation in a video on his own YouTube channel.
Why Autumn Planting Works
Speaking about the season, Titchmarsh explained that onion sets planted now will not grow much during winter but will thrive in spring, ripening earlier and being ready for harvest in June. He also noted that garlic should be planted during autumn or early winter, broken into individual cloves, rather than waiting for the shortest day.
“You can get onion sets that you plant now in autumn. They don’t grow much during the winter, but they romp away come spring and then they will ripen much earlier; these will be harvested in June,” he said.
Planting Tips and a Warning
For garlic, Titchmarsh advised planting cloves in the same way as onions, noting that each clove will grow into a full bulb. He cautioned against planting them with the tops showing, as blackbirds could pull them out.
“In the old days they used to just leave the tops showing. If you leave the tops showing blackbirds come and pull them out and it’s very irritating. So I like to them in so they just disappear, only just mind you. Don’t bury them too deeply. It just keeps the tops out of the way of the blackbirds,” he warned.
Bulbs for Spring Blooms
In addition to vegetables, Titchmarsh has previously recommended planting bulbs in October for spring flowers. He described tulips and aliums as “firework plants” that will bloom reliably once planted.
Alan returns to UK screens on Sunday, October 4, with Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh at 09.30am on ITV.
