Topic: Japanese onion sets

[Mothy]

Where are you all buying your overwinter onion sets from this year? Where is the best value?

Thx Mothy

[Unwashed]

Man in Newbury market tomorrow.

And I'm glad you asked:  Is it time to put them in now?  GW said so last week, but I thought it was after mid October.  Am I getting my months muddled?

[Fork]

My Japanese sets will be put into individual cells tomorrow ready for planting mid Oct.

[manicscousers]

bought ours from wilkies, 2 packs of 50 mixed ones, 1.98 per pack :)

[Mothy]

I'd love to be able to buy off a market stall, because the online prices are very high once delivery is added!
Been looking at the garden centres round here (Leicester) but none stock them.

Be interested to hear where everyone else is buying theirs!

[Mothy]

Wilkies?

I'll look tomorrow!

Thx for the tip.

[Tee Gee]

I have gone for seed sowing for the first time this year, I haven't been happy with what is on the market at the moment so I have gone back to the 'old ways'

Quiet there in the cheap seats No! I am not Victorian  ;D

I sowed a variety called Keepwell in July and grew them on in 3" pots planted them out yesterday.

They had grown to about he same size as setts so its fingers crossed!

[pigeonseed]

I've gone old-fashioned this year too, Tee Gee! But my onion seedlings are nowhere near the size of sets! I didn't think they would bulb up till the spring. Oh no - onion anxiety!

In answer to your question, Mothy, I've always bought my onion sets, shallots and seed potatoes online. I just never know when I'll have chance to go to a shop which sells them, and which varieties they'll have. Shallots especially seem to be in short supply in shops.

I've bought from Fothergills and T&M at various times and maybe Suttons as well - can't really remember! I like to spend ages weighing up the pros and cons of the various varieties, and selecting them to crop at different times and all that palaver! What a fuss. You'd think I was feeding the nation.  ::)

But yes, by the time you add postage I suppose it does add up. That's one reason I'm sowing onion seed this year.

But if you order a lot of stuff in one go, they usually only add one set of postage. So if you factor in bus fare to get to a garden centre (if you needed such a thing) then it works out okay. :)

[saddad]

Got some from the lottie shop, so I'm with Fork. Shall be potting mine up this weekend.
 :)

[sawfish]

edwin tucker seems quite cheap. £1.90 for 100, plus 30p off if you buy two.

http://www.tuckers-seeds.co.uk/productlist.php?catid=4&subid=186

[nilly71]

Don't forget about £ shops

Neil

[tomatoada]

I bought mine from Wyvale.  They were displayed between 2 lots of bulbs.  Most confusing.
Pigeonseed.   I planted seeds in July and they are only like small leeks.   No where near the size of sets like Teegee.   We will have to see how they go.  Are you transplanting them?   If so when?   

[Ellen K]

Mothy, you are not to far from Antstey Garden Centre (also called Brookside, it has a website) amd that's a good place to buy onion sets (and seed potatoes).  Full range and good prices.   Us Loughborough allotmenteers buy from there.

[BoardStupid]

Focus hardware stores have onion sets and also garlic. 3 packs for a fiver

[Froglegs]

Got some from the lottie shop, so I'm with Fork. Shall be potting mine up this weekend.
 :)

Is it too early to put them in the ground now then,i got mine off a stall in Vic center market £250 for 500g.

[saddad]

£250 you were robbed... £2.50 more like it. I want to put them straight in but OH prefers to start them in cells they are harder for the birds to pull up if planted out with good roots...  ;D

[Froglegs]

No £250 the bloke said there the best ya can get ;D

[rog_pete]

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/gwm

use the link and its free p and p on everything
got my onion sets from there this year and they have just been planted this week

[Unwashed]

200 radar sets from Richard of Charlton Park at Newbury Market, £4.00, redy to go in this aft.

[Ellen K]

^^ I recommend T&M First Early winter onions - last year I planted a row and every one of them produced a fine onion with zero bolting.

Anstey GC had sold out of them by the time I got there (though they still have loads of Japanese, Radar, Shakespeare and the white onion whose name escapes me - all pick your own at 3.49/kg.

Edited to add: this post was meant as a reply to #17 with the link to the T&M website.  Have grown Radar too and they were fine.

Note to self: must type faster.