Prefers a sunny position in a light well-drained soil. The bulbs should be planted fairly deeply. Grows well with most plants, especially roses, carrots, beet and chamomile, but it inhibits the growth of legumes. This plant is a bad companion for alfalfa, each species negatively affecting the other. This species is a pernicious weed of grassland in Britain, spreading freely by means of its bulbils. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer.

Leaves - raw or cooked. Rather stringy, they are used as a garlic substitute[2, 12, K]. The leaves are available from late autumn until the following summer, when used sparingly they make a nice addition to the salad bowl[8, 183, K]. Bulb - used as a flavoring. Rather small, with a very strong flavor and odour. The bulbs are 10 - 20mm in diameter. Bulbils - raw or cooked. Rather small and fiddly, they have a strong garlic-like flavor.

Plants do not need any encouragement, they are more than capable of propagating themselves. Bulbils are produced in abundance in the summer and are the main means by which the plant spreads.

Fields and roadsides to elevations of 450 metres in Britain, often a serious weed of pastures.