Though we may be spending less time outdoors as the winter months creep in, there are a few tasks you may want to complete outside before you close the doors for good, and one of them is putting garlic in your garden. You may not realise but the vegetable has a pretty handy use, as it could really work wonders outside your property.

Little you may know, it's a good idea to put some in your garden, and there's a simple reason why. As the colder months loom, it could help to protect your plants, but it's not as a simple as just tossing some on the lawn.

It's not the first slightly unusual thing Brits have been told to put in their gardens lately either. A few days ago, people were also encouraged to place cardboard loo rolls outside too.

Ish, known as gardening.with.ish on TikTok, shares all sorts of handy gardening tips. He recently explained why garlic is so essential to work with.

According to him, slugs can be a real problem during the wet weather. But, by using garlic, you could help to keep them away and protect your plants.

Ish said: "Today in the garden, I'm going to show you how to rid those slugs off your plants with a spray bottle and some garlic. That's right, today I'm making a garlic spray, and this is my last minute defence against slugs because used coffee grounds and egg shells are a fantastic way to keep them off the ground and away from your plants.

"But, what about some of those leaves that are close to the ground that they can reach up to? Well, garlic spray has a very interesting ingredient that makes the plant taste absolutely disgusting and, as a result, not only will they stay away from [them], but they won't eat them either."

To make your own spray, he said you need to take around 200ml of water and add three or four crushed cloves of garlic. Ish said you need to leave the mixture to soak for around a day or two.

Then, add some more water (around a litre), and the spray is made. Remember, you just need to strain it down before you use it to spray on your plants.

Put it in a spray bottle and lightly mist it over your plants. Ish advised people to do this every week or so, and focus on plants that are particularly vulnerable to slugs.

Little you may know, garlic spray can work to deter slugs. The repellent effect comes from allicin, which is a sulfur compound that forms when garlic is crushed or boiled.

The strong smell and taste of this compound is hated by slugs and snails, so they won't want to touch sprayed plants. It's a simple way to keep your plants protected when the weather is wet, and slugs appear more frequently.

They tend to be more active when the weather is damp, as they seek food and lay eggs. While rain itself is beneficial, slugs tend to come out after rain rather than during heavy downpours, as this can be dangerous for them.

To get the best out of the spray, reapply it after it rains to ensure it remains effective. Ish also said it's important to water the solution down to ensure the plants don't become damaged in any way.

This is why he recommends topping the solution up to around a litre after you've let it settle. Experts say a good time to apply it is during the evening.