Topic: to many onions

[cambourne7]

Hi All,

I need some huge help, i planted garlic and shallots before christmas and there romping away. Picked up another pack of garlic about 6 weeks ago as they were cheap and expecting quite a lot to fail but no i have a huge tray of garlic now.

Then both nets of onions again no failures unlike last year when the birds and weather conspired against me.

So i had been planting in rotation across my 4 raised beds but i have no more spaces for onion in the correct places. All the beds have had a top dressing of 1-2 inches of soil and onions planted last year have carrots in this for this year.

I dont think putting the excess onions into the greenhouse will work as the heat will make the bolt.

So the question for you, oh experts is should i abandon my crop rotation plan and just fit them in where i can for now ? Crops still to plant are salads, cabbages, beatroot and stir fry greens so maybe althernative rows??

Cam

[Tee Gee]

Providing the areas that you want to use is a spot where there has been no onion white rot you should be OK to put them anywhere.

As an aside on rotation.

In my exhibiting days myself and fellow exhibitors would use the same bed every year to grow our prize specimens. As you could imagine, this was you could say "was haloed ground" and wanted for nothing in terms of soil conditioning, feeding and disease control.

So a one off use should be no problem. In fact the onion smell may keep keep pests endemic to particular crops  e.g. Carrots and Carrot fly may be kept at bay.

I hope this helps.

[cambourne7]

thanks xxx feeling better now

[johhnyco15]

yes indeed as long as you have had no trouble plant them anywhere you can   and as tg said it was once the norm to have a dedicated onion bed that was used every season hope this helps