Many recipes make use of onions, shallots or garlic. You can easily store these indispensable vegatables for future use.

Onions of ordinary size and quality can be grown in most soils.

Step 1.
As onions need good drainage, the texture of the soil is important.
Before planting, dig in well-rotted manure and sand or grit.
Add general fertiliser.

Step 2.
Plant onion sets 10cm apart from late winter to mid-spring, when the ground is workable.
Push gently into the soil until just the tips of the onions are showing.

Step 3.
Plant easy-to-grow shallots 15cm apart from late winter to early spring.
Press the bulbs firmly into the soil until they are half covered.

Step 4.
Garlic likes the sun and fairly rich ground.
Plant the bulbs vertically, 10cm apart, in late autumn or early spring to the depth of the bulb.

Step 5.
When onion, shallot and garlic leaves turn yellow, lift the bulbs and spread them to dry in a cool dry place, or plait withered leaves together with string.

Potatoes are an excellent crop for a new or neglected garden as the root system breaks up the soil and improves its structure.