🌱 Autumn alliums in Worthing, Worthing's mild coastal climate is well suited to overwintering alliums. The key is sun, good drainage and keeping weeds down.

🧅 Autumn onions

Planting: late September–October

Prepare the bed
Choose a spot that gets full sun.
Dig over the soil and remove perennial weeds.
Add well-rotted compost if the soil is poor, but don't use fresh manure.
Aim for soil that drains freely.
Plant the sets
Make a shallow hole and put the onion set in with the pointed end upwards.
Plant so that roughly the top third is above the soil.
Space them about 10–15 cm apart, with 30 cm between rows.
Protect them
Birds can pull newly planted sets out, so firm them in well.
If birds are persistent, cover the bed with netting for the first few weeks.

Over winter
Generally leave them alone.
Don't routinely water in winter unless conditions are unusually dry.
Keep weeds away—they compete surprisingly strongly with onions.

Spring onwards
Once growth gets going, water during prolonged dry spells.
Give a light feed in spring if the soil isn't particularly fertile.
Stop watering as the bulbs mature.

Harvest
Usually June–July.
When most of the foliage bends over and starts turning yellow/brown, stop watering.
Lift them and allow them to dry thoroughly somewhere airy before storing.

🧅 Shallots

Planting: October–November

Shallots are particularly easy and are probably the lowest-maintenance of the three.
Prepare the soil as above, making sure it isn't waterlogged.
Separate the shallot bulbs into individual bulbs only when you're ready to plant.
Push each bulb into the soil pointed end upwards.
Leave the top of the bulb just showing above the soil.
Space them about 15–20 cm apart, with roughly 30 cm between rows.
Firm the soil around them.
Each shallot should divide into a cluster of several new bulbs during the growing season.

In spring:

Keep the bed weed-free.
Water during prolonged dry weather.
You generally don't need to feed heavily.

Harvest: usually July, once the foliage has yellowed and flopped over. Lift the clusters and dry them thoroughly before storing.

🧄 Garlic

Planting: October–December — November would be my choice in Worthing.

Buy planting garlic, ideally a variety suited to the UK.
Break the bulb into individual cloves immediately before planting.
Pick out the largest, healthiest cloves.
Plant each clove pointed end upwards, about 5 cm deep.
Space cloves around 15 cm apart, with about 30 cm between rows.
Firm the soil around them.
The garlic will make roots and some foliage before winter, then essentially sit through the cold months.

In spring:

Keep weeds down.
Water during prolonged dry spells.
A spring feed can help on poorer soil.
Don't keep the soil constantly wet.

Important: Once the bulbs start swelling, don't keep watering excessively. You want the bulbs to mature rather than sit in soggy soil.
Harvest: typically June–July, depending on variety and weather. When several of the lower leaves have turned yellow/brown, carefully lift the bulbs rather than pulling hard on the foliage.

Dry the garlic somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated for several weeks before storing.
🌧️ Particularly important for Worthing
If you're gardening on heavy Sussex clay, I'd modify the approach slightly:
Don't plant these into a waterlogged bed just because it's the right month. Drainage matters more than hitting an exact planting date.

A good approach is:
Compost → loosen soil → make slightly raised rows/ridges → plant → mulch lightly → leave alone over winter.
You can also grow all three in raised beds, which makes them much easier to manage.

A simple 2026 calendar for Worthing
September
Prepare beds.
Plant autumn onion sets towards the end of the month.

October

Finish planting onions.
Start planting shallots.
Prepare garlic bed.

November

Plant shallots.
Plant garlic — ideal time.

December

Garlic can still be planted if you haven't done it.

January–February

Mostly leave them alone.
Keep an eye on weeds and waterlogging.

March–April

Growth accelerates.
Weed regularly.
Feed if necessary.
Water during unusually dry periods.

June–July

Harvest onions, shallots and garlic as they mature.
Dry thoroughly before storing.

One final tip: don't plant them in the same patch where you've recently grown leeks, onions, garlic or shallots if you can avoid it. Rotating the bed helps reduce the build-up of allium diseases and pests.