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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: stocko75 on February 12, 2010, 18:59:20

Title: planting onions
Post by: stocko75 on February 12, 2010, 18:59:20
would it be ok to plant my onion sets  and garlic out tom?  weather  is forecast a bit warmer but obviously we will be getting more frost  and cold days etc,,, advice appreciated,thanks all
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: chriscross1966 on February 12, 2010, 19:08:18
I'd not plant the onions out until you have a few days without frost forecast. Keep them cool and  ventilated until then. THe garlic actually needs the cold so I'd try and get that in ASAP if you can.


[/my 2p]

chrisc
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: stocko75 on February 12, 2010, 19:11:18
i thought that too re garlic,but on the pack it says plant  feb march,also have gw planner and it says the same??? ???
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: manicscousers on February 12, 2010, 19:14:27
I've just planted half my shallots, going to leave the rest plus the onions a bit longer  :)
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: stocko75 on February 12, 2010, 19:16:16
oops you just reminded me manics,i've got some shallots to plant too!!! never grown them before!
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Chrispy on February 12, 2010, 19:29:50
i thought that too re garlic,but on the pack it says plant  feb march,also have gw planner and it says the same??? ???
Some variates of garlic do not need the cold spell, the first I grew was such a variety which I planted out in March.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: cornykev on February 13, 2010, 11:08:00
Mine will go in when the ground is workable, last year they went in the back end of Feb.      ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Flighty on February 13, 2010, 11:31:08
Onion sets don't like being planted in cold, wet ground so wait as they can be planted anytime up to late April! I usually plant mine around mid March.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: antipodes on February 15, 2010, 16:01:40
I only just bought my onions and it has been so cold here still, there is no hope of digging anyway! I usually plant mine from end-Feb till mid-March. I start with shallots and finish with red onions. Last year that worked pretty well. Garlic however went in in Jan but no shoots yet! it's been that cold though, I just hope they will appear one of these days!
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: saddad on February 15, 2010, 17:19:04
I plant my onion sets in cells and then plant out at the end of March  :)
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: cornykev on February 15, 2010, 17:20:29
My ground is very wet so I covered some ready for the shallots and will probably start some off in pots, but my onions will have to wait a while.    ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: 1066 on February 15, 2010, 17:25:57
I plant my onion sets in cells and then plant out at the end of March  :)

I was going to ask about this as I read about it in GW mag. Would you recommend this for shallots? And what are the advantages / disadvantages? They didn't bother to explain that bit in GW!!

Thanks
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: saddad on February 15, 2010, 17:27:38
Shallots are as tough as old boots and don't need it. Onions just get a longer season if you start them off...  :)
If you don't get them root bound they can give bigger bulbs.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: 1066 on February 15, 2010, 17:32:29
Aaahhhhh

Thanks for the info Saddad  :)
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: kippers garden on February 26, 2010, 11:48:54
My allotment is soaking wet and anything i plant now would just rot!...so i have just made up 122 newspaper pots and planted my shallots in them and they are sitting in my open mini greenhouse.  I have also just planted loads of broad beans in toilet rolls and they are outside until my lottie drys out (my overwintering broad beans have badly been affected by the cold weather and i'm going to pull them out)
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Philbasford on February 26, 2010, 15:08:39
I heard from someone on my allotment that onions were not affected by the frost?,wot with them being a bulb etc., i planted mine last weekend, the part of the allotment they are is the drier end, so hope they are ok, ive put fleece on top of them!
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 26, 2010, 16:31:55
I've never had spring-planted onions rot. The problem I have is with the autumn-planted version. My plot is liable to waterlogging and they rot in a wet winter. Neither version seems to mind normal cold, though there are a lot of gaps in my autumn-planted onions, and they could well be down to cold rather than wet this year.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: artichoke on February 26, 2010, 16:47:43
Broad beans: they can look miserable at this time after a hard winter, but I am leaving mine in for a bit longer in case their big root systems throw up fresh shoots and get away well. They have always done this so far, but admittedly this is said to have been the coldest winter for 30 years.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 26, 2010, 17:54:24
That's another thing that I find suffers more from wet than cold. The mice had mine this year.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Anisemary on February 26, 2010, 22:45:10
My allotment is soaking wet and anything i plant now would just rot!...so i have just made up 122 newspaper pots and planted my shallots in them and they are sitting in my open mini greenhouse.  I have also just planted loads of broad beans in toilet rolls and they are outside until my lottie drys out (my overwintering broad beans have badly been affected by the cold weather and i'm going to pull them out)
I have used toilet roll inners many times for sweet peas and runner beans, but have never tried making newspaper tubes, do thery actually hold up until planting out time?Can they be made without buying a special 'former' that many garden sundries people seem to sell now?
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: laurieuk on February 27, 2010, 07:07:10
There seems to be two discussions going on about onion sets but just to say frost will not hurt them mine were covered in deep snow for many days and have have lots of frost since but are still going strong.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: ALAN HOWELL on February 27, 2010, 12:23:57
Hi

I use a rolling pin for making paper tubes :D

Alan
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Anisemary on February 27, 2010, 22:53:50
Hi

I use a rolling pin for making paper tubes :D

Alan
OK Alan, 45 year old wooden rolling pin and a huge stack of newspapers at the ready, where do I go from here?
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: muddylou on February 27, 2010, 23:54:58
I've never had spring-planted onions rot. The problem I have is with the autumn-planted version. My plot is liable to waterlogging and they rot in a wet winter. Neither version seems to mind normal cold, though there are a lot of gaps in my autumn-planted onions, and they could well be down to cold rather than wet this year.

Me-too, I've got gaps everywhere so I've filled them in with sets planted a week ago (I won't use the bed later in the year so not a problem).  The over winter garlic is looking good though, every one is up and looking healthy. Has been a b**ger of of a winter though.
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: ALAN HOWELL on February 28, 2010, 11:46:42
Hi Anismary,

ok,I use the smaller newspapers,like the "Sun" etc.I use two sheets together for the thickness to make the pots last longer.Roll the newspaper on to the rolling pin from the narrowest edge of the paper(turn the paper thru 45deg form the reading position),when it is all rolled on to the pin,glue the edge with some craft glue.Do not roll your paper too tight though cos it will be difficult to get off the roller ;)

You should be able to get 3 pots from one rolling.

It is open to improvisation of course.Good luck,

Alan
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Anisemary on February 28, 2010, 21:18:33
Thanks Alan, will have a go next time I'm confined to barracks!  I bet you're the sort that knows how to make a kite out of Valerie Singletons knickers!!  ;)  ;D
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: ALAN HOWELL on February 28, 2010, 22:24:47
I have made a kite out of Valerie Singletons knickers.

 ;D LOL

Best wishes


Alan
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: Digeroo on February 28, 2010, 22:28:54
I hope that she wasn't still wearing them. :o
Title: Re: planting onions
Post by: kippers garden on March 01, 2010, 15:16:45
I make my newspaper pots using a baked bean tin or a soy sauce bottle depending on what i'm planting.  Toilet rolls make great root trainers for broad beans.
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