Monty Don admits 'that's no good' as he reveals tough reality of Gardeners' World

Fans were treated to Gardeners' World a day earlier than usual on Thursday evening, with Glastonbury Festival now officially starting this week. During the episode, Monty Don showed viewers at home how to harvest elephant garlic. The 69-year-old presenter walked up to a bed of elephant garlic and said it was time for harvest. Speaking to BBC fans watching at home, he shared that the plant is technically a leek and is much bigger and milder than normal garlic.

He then gave a tutorial on how to harvest the plant once it's ready and said that they should always be lifted out with a fork because you need to keep the roots on them. Sharing more tips, he said, "It stores very well, it's easier to use, and it doesn't dominate in the way that garlic can do." However, as he continued to dig up more of the normal garlic bulbs, he found that some had rotted. He said, "That's no good. Interesting."

Monty then found another rotten clove which he described as "completely horrible". He added: "Look how that's rotted. The cloves are in there, but I don't think they would keep."

He then said, "No, no, no. What I am asking myself is why this garlic from a very reputable supplier, for the first time ever since I've grown garlic, is no good. It's rotting. It's difficult to see if there's a virus or a fungal problem. But the elephant garlic in the same bedding and in the same growing conditions is untouchable."

Monty then said that he would not be using that garden bed to grow plants for the next three years. Some viewers at home reacted to the garlic rotting on X.

One person said, "Oh a garlic fail for @TheMontyDon Disaster! #GardenersWorld." A second also chimed in, "Disappointing garlic." A third also typed, "That was worrying about @TheMontyDon's garlic #GardenersWorld."

A fourth viewer at home joked, "Maybe a vampire is buried under that bed. #gardenersworld."

You can watch Gardeners' World on BBC iPlayer.