Topic: Onions flowering???

[shirlton]

We cannot grow red onions for love nor money.A few of our seed onions are seeding though. Gives me an excuse to start pulling them

[Spudders]

I was just wondering how everybody prepared the soil for their onions.  I dig the soil over and then put a plank down and firm it down slightly by putting my foot on it.

It sounds strange to dig some soil and then firm it down again but I have read that onions like slightly firm soil but obviously not compacted.

Another thing I noticed was that the wind around here was quite bad earlier this year and the swaying of the stems had actually caused a big gap round the base of the stems and I had to firm them in again.

If you plant onions in unfirmed soil I think this wind rocking will actually start rocking the onion bulb and start stressing it's roots.

Just another suggestion for peoples bolting onions hope it helps.

[Robert_Brenchley]

All I do is dib a hole, drop the set in, and cover it with a good couple of inches of grass mulch.

[Barnowl]

I loosen up a top layer then push the sets in firming the soil around them once they're about a third covered.

A question for Robert on the grass mulch aspect: I'm always worried that  my grass cuttings contain weeds that will propagate in the bed, also that the mulch will go slimy. How do you avoid these two problems.

[cornykev]

I'm with Rob, dib and drop.  ;D ;D ;D

[Toadspawn]

I have a big problem with my Red Baron onion bolting this year. About 50% have produced a flower bud. I like red onions because of the flavour and colour but there will not be many bulbs to store this year. I almost feel like ceasing to grow them but are there any other varieties you would recommend and the name of the supplier or do all red onions bolt. If this is the situation when would you recommend planting to reduce/eliminate the problem?
I normally start the sets off in modules in the GH and then plant into the garden in March/April.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Grass mulch will only go slimy if you either get a monsoon like last year, in which case you have to endure it till the weather clears up, or if it's inordinately thick. Even six inches over the spuds is normally OK. As for weed seeds, you won't get many from grass that's cut regularly. If you maintain a layer of mulch, they never get a chance to grow anyway.