Autumn-planted garlic

Today French people are electing their new president so, after my usual early morning cold swim, I'll be spending the rest of my Sunday travelling to a lycée français in Wembley and queueing to vote.

I thought it'd be fitting to post a favourite crop for French people (sometimes there's truth in stereotypes...): garlic. 

My garlic bed is looking quite healthy - I've never had plants this big at this time of year. But unfortunately, the first signs of rust are already showing.

Every year, with garlic and leek (onions seem OK), I find it's impossible to stop crops getting rust. It's a fungus that's present everywhere on the allotment and I'm very jealous of a neighbour 3 plots down who always seems to have immaculate leeks, no rust or leaf miner...

Either way I'm happy the garlic seems to have established fine and grown into -  hopefully - nice large bulbs. Time will tell, as usual.