Topic: Is there a secret to growing big onions from sets?

[the_snail]

As stated in the title is there any tips for growing big healthy onions from sets?

The_Snail

[DocAlgae]

Yup, plant em as soon as possible!  Our overwintered ones we harvested last June were huge!  Variety was Sturon if that helps.  And we fed them twice with chicken pellets.  Make sure you keep the weeds down too, to avoid competition. :)

[the_snail]

I might have a go at planting a few under a cloche next year a little earlier just to see if it makes any difference.

The_Snail

[Derekthefox]

Yes, mine were late going in this year (reds only) and are only just showing a few inches of green. I don't expect big onions of this planting next year, although they are mainly only for salad use. My main crop, will get planted in early March, and fed well with fish, blood and bone, and also plenty of bonfire ash.

Derekthefox :D

[the_snail]

Thanks wardy I will give that a try.

The_Snail

[growmore]

Here is what works for me ..
Manure you soil in autumn as now ....Not in spring prior to setting onions..Onions dont like acidic soil .A week before planting  your sets rake in a good dusting of lime..When you are ready to put your sets in rake in some blood fish and bone and a dusting of superphosphate  .Then plant your sets ..usually in March or April..Keep them watered once they shoot .. I dont feed them till they start bulbing as I found feeding them earlier can give  them a thick neck and they then can be awkward to store..As in they dont keep well...I dont bend leaves back on them as some do, I find they do that themselves eventually..
when leaves are turming and onions are ripe I  fork em out of ground and leve em on soil to dry for a while till leaves feel crinkly If it is very wet weather and i cant do this I stand  them in bread trays with leaves pointing down out of rain as in shed etc..till leaves are dry...Then I tie them up and hang them to store...Her is a pic of this years sturons from suttons..With a 50p peice between  them....
..cheers... Jim

[tim]

Snail - if you really want this sort of thing, keep it out of my kitchen!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/onion.jpg

[tim]

Puts Marshalls things in the shade?

[growmore]

Here is one we grew earlier this year ..But it wern't from sets .It was from seed set in Dec 04   ..This was a 5 pound plus..Tim  they eat very well freeze well too ...cheers Jim..

[tim]

Aha, freezing - very necessary with such a monster!

[Mothy]

Blimey...they all put mine to shame!!

I set Stuttgarter Giant and Comred sets this year and was pleased with the size and quality of both. They had 2 feeds of chook pellets. The reds went down especially well with the rest of the clan and I am under strict instructions to grow a lot more next year.

[Mrs Ava]

Onion envy here in white rot infested Essex!

[growmore]

I know EJ even  Yorkie shallots succumbed to it too and I thought they had a resistance to it ...Maybe You will find a spot next season on yer lotty that is not so bad .for it.
Her'es hoping eh ..cheers Jim

[Derekthefox]

Yes I would be impressed by that beauty too !!!

Derekthefox :D

[Icyberjunkie]

So to ask a possibly daft question...if planting in Autumn (have reds and two types of white in) gives bigger onions - which is why I did it - why then plant a 'main crop' in spring?

What key bit of info am I missing!

[the_snail]

Growmore thanks for the detailed infomation, I have written it down and will be digging the beds as soon as weather permits  :) And also that is a whopper of a onion. And seed sown on 4th of december. Another thing to think about.

Tim. Thank you for your article it is a very interesting read.

The_Snail

PS. I have never added lime to the area where I plant my onion sets so I will give this a go and see if it makes any difference. Thanks for that :)

[Derekthefox]

Icy, as I see it, the winter crops don't keep as well, so provide valuable onions during the summer and autumn, but won't keep through the winter. Therefore, I plant mainly reds during autumn, so that they are available for the salad season, but keep my whites for spring planting, so they will last through the summer (hopefully), although based on my current consumption rate, they will be exhausted by February.

Derekthefox :D

[Icyberjunkie]

Icy, as I see it, the winter crops don't keep as well, so provide valuable onions during the summer and autumn,

Derekthefox :D

Oh I see - that makes sense.   Will have to go find some more onion bed for summer then.   Now with two plots I can still see myself running  out of space - wonder if wifey will mind if I get three  ::)

[Derekthefox]

Well almost a quarter of my plot is devoted to growing onions, leeks and garlic ...

Derekthefox :D

[the_snail]

I love Growing and eating onions. I grow on avarage 300-400 onions a year. It is my main crop. I grow a few spuds but nothing special as we get them cheap enough of the milkman in big sacks. I also grow allot of caugettes and tomatoes. Was hopeing to grow more tomatoes this year but a unfortunate event has slightly delaid plans for that, but I will grow more tomatoes this year may be outdoors for a change. (Prays for a hot summer in 2006 ;D).

The_Snail

PS. It sounds awfully Italian with the onion, caugette and tomatoe. I might try to grow some vegetable saragethi (a type of squash) to make it a proper Italian theme.  ;D