November is a useful month for thoughtful gardening in Britain. With growth slowing and the weather becoming less predictable, planting garlic and onions in November is less about rushing through a long list and more about making the right decisions for the plants and soil in front of you. This guide explains what to do, when to do it, and how to avoid the problems that often appear when cold rain, short days and saturated ground arrive together.

Whether you garden on a Sheffield allotment, manage raised beds at home or tend a few containers, the principles are the same: inspect first, work only when conditions are suitable, and leave the plot healthier than you found it. We’ll look closely at hardneck garlic, softneck garlic, autumn onion sets, as well as the practical details that make the task successful.

Choose varieties suited to autumn planting

Not every onion or garlic variety is suitable for November planting. Look for onion sets explicitly sold for autumn planting and garlic varieties recommended for UK autumn sowing. Garlic is normally planted as individual cloves separated from a healthy bulb, with the pointed end upwards. Avoid using ordinary supermarket garlic as your main planting stock: it may be poorly adapted to local conditions or carry disease. Choose firm cloves without mould, soft patches or obvious damage. If your soil stays saturated through winter, a raised bed or large container with reliable drainage may be a safer choice than a low, wet plot.

Read the conditions before you begin

The best working window is november while the soil is workable and not saturated. Start by checking the soil several centimetres below the surface. If it is shiny, sticky or holds water in a squeezed handful, postpone digging and other operations that would compress it. Where the ground crumbles and drains freely, a gentle intervention is usually less damaging.

Look at the forecast for the next few days, not just the conditions outside your door. A mild dry morning before a long wet spell may be your chance to finish an important task. Conversely, a hard frost can make fragile stems and wet compost more vulnerable to handling. Work in short stages, and protect access paths so repeated visits do not turn the beds into compacted tracks.

What you need and what to prepare

Gather a clean fork or hand trowel, secateurs where appropriate, sturdy gloves, labels, a bucket for waste and a brush for cleaning tools. You will not need every implement for every job; choose equipment that fits hardneck garlic and the size of your growing area. A small hand tool often causes less accidental damage than a large spade in a crowded bed.

Prepare a place to put useful organic material, another place for suspect or diseased waste, and a dry area for tools or lifted produce. This simple separation saves trouble later. Check cutting edges and clean them before moving between unhealthy and healthy plants. If the task involves supports, nets or pots, inspect those for broken parts before starting rather than discovering a problem halfway through.

Step-by-step method

Begin by walking the area and noting which plants are healthy, which are declining and which are actually ready for attention. Use a notebook or phone photograph to record any variety labels and decisions. That prevents accidental removal or pruning of plants you meant to keep, especially when leaves are disappearing and several crops look alike.

For the main work, use this order: choose healthy bulbs and sets; then prepare a weed-free bed; followed by plant garlic cloves pointed end upwards. Take your time, keep tools close to the ground where possible and check the result after each stage. If the conditions worsen, stop rather than forcing the job. Finishing half a bed well is better than damaging the entire bed in wet weather.

Continue with push onion sets in with tips just showing and label varieties and dates. If relevant, finish by label varieties and dates. Remove temporary debris from paths and return any movable protection securely. Label what has been done and the date; later, those small records can help explain which treatments, timings or varieties performed best.

How deep and how far apart?

Plant garlic cloves with their tips around 2.5–5 cm below the finished soil surface, adjusting for soil type and the variety's guidance. Space cloves approximately 15 cm apart, with rows about 30 cm apart, so bulbs have room to develop and you can weed between them. Autumn onion sets are usually planted with the pointed tips just visible at the soil surface, around 10 cm apart in rows 25–30 cm apart. Do not bury onion sets deeply. Press soil firmly around each set so there are no large air pockets, but avoid compacting a wet bed. Label the row with the variety and date before you forget what was planted.

Prepare the bed without overfeeding

Both crops prefer a fertile, well-drained soil that has not just received a heavy application of fresh manure. Remove perennial weeds before planting because hoeing close to emerging allium shoots is awkward. If the soil needs improving, use mature compost incorporated ahead of time or as part of a sensible bed-preparation programme. Do not apply a large dose of high-nitrogen feed at planting merely to encourage lush winter leaves. Roots need to establish, but strong, soft growth in poor winter light can be vulnerable. In spring, reassess plant colour and growth before deciding whether a modest feed is needed.

Prevent rotting, birds and onion white rot

The biggest autumn risk is often wet soil rather than frost. Cloves left in standing water may rot before making a useful root system. Use raised beds or containers if drainage is consistently poor, and avoid watering after planting unless the compost is genuinely dry. Birds sometimes pull newly planted onion sets from the ground; a temporary mesh cover can help until roots anchor them. Watch for yellowing, stunting and rotting roots that may indicate onion white rot. There is no simple cure for contaminated ground, so remove affected plants and avoid moving soil or allium waste to clean beds. Rotate crops sensibly, while recognising that white rot can persist in soil for many years.

Common mistakes that cause setbacks

One avoidable mistake is to treat November as if it were a race. Avoid waterlogged soil. Another is to assume extra water, compost or covering always helps; sometimes the better choice is to leave healthy plants alone until conditions improve. The aim is controlled, appropriate care rather than activity for its own sake.

Also remember this warning: do not use supermarket garlic as your default seed stock. If you're unsure what caused a symptom, photograph it, look for a pattern and check several plants before acting. Finally, avoid burying onion sets too deeply. A few minutes spent identifying the cause of a problem will generally save more time than making a drastic change that is difficult to reverse.

Pests, diseases and hygiene

Cool weather does not eliminate every pest or disease. Some insects, eggs and spores survive on plant debris, while slugs remain active during damp mild spells. Look beneath foliage, around stems, along ties and around sheltered pot rims. Only take targeted action once you can identify the likely cause rather than treating every blemish as a serious infection.

For a plot where hardneck garlic and softneck garlic are present, remove obviously rotten material and improve ventilation without stripping all wildlife cover. Clean reused equipment and avoid moving suspicious plant debris from one healthy area to another. Where a disease is recurring, record the affected crop and position so next season's planting plan can reduce the risk.

What to do in the weeks afterwards

Check the result a few days after finishing planting garlic and onions in November. Look for movement in supports, exposed roots, trapped water, damaged coverings or any sign that a plant is responding poorly. A small adjustment made early is easier than dealing with a larger problem after a storm. For new plantings, keep the root zone reasonably moist without leaving it saturated.

You do not have to visit the plot every day during winter, but a short regular inspection is valuable. After heavy rain or high winds, prioritise drainage, structural safety and wildlife-friendly netting. Record unexpected successes as well as failures. Those records help you improve timing next year instead of following the same routine by habit.

What happens between winter and harvest?

Autumn-planted garlic and onions may show green shoots during mild spells and then appear to stop growing. That is normal in short, cold days. Keep weeds down, check that sets have not been lifted by birds or frost and remove covers before they restrict healthy growth. Garlic bulbs typically develop in late spring and summer; autumn onions often mature earlier than spring-planted sets, depending on variety and conditions. Harvest when the plants show appropriate signs of maturity, then dry bulbs thoroughly in an airy, sheltered place before storage. Never assume every bulb will store for months: use damaged or thick-necked onions promptly.

Frequently asked questions

Is November too late for garlic? No. Autumn planting suits many garlic varieties; protect the planting from standing water and follow the chosen variety guidance.

What if the ground is frozen or waterlogged? Delay soil disturbance and planting until it becomes workable. You can still prepare labels, clean tools and plan access routes while you wait.

Do I need to finish this task before December? Not always. November while the soil is workable and not saturated. Plant condition and local weather matter more than an arbitrary deadline, so prioritise safe conditions and the health of your crop.

Final advice from Gardening with Ben

Good allotment gardening is built from careful observation, modest changes and learning from each season. The practical details of planting garlic and onions in November will vary from one plot to another, but giving yourself time to inspect the soil, plants and weather is consistently worthwhile. Don't worry if you can only make progress in small sessions during November.

Keep smiling, keep shining, keep gardening with Ben.