Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: the_snail on April 26, 2005, 12:28:00
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Hi
What with the bad weather and myself not being to well I have not been able to get down the allotment to plant my onion sets. I am planning to go down this week and plant them. Am I to late? I live in staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and like I said the weather has been cold and damp. I normally have the sets in by now and they are normally growing by this time , am I too late? :-\
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I didn't put my onion sets in till April 19th (I keep a diary) last year and I had no problems whatsoever. In fact, I only used up the last of the onions a couple of weeks ago from a very good crop.
I don't subscribe to all the 'get it in early' talk as I've found that round here (Lincolnshire) frost can be a problem even now.
You shouldn't have a problem.
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My allotment neighbour only put his in last week.
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I still have some to go in!
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Mine went in last week.
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Thanks for all the advice! Ya made me feel allot better :) I was worrying last night about my onions. Sad I Know :D
It has been a little cold and wet so hopefully like I said I will get them in this week. Weather permitting! Looks like I may get a bit wet. :D
Thanks again folks :)
Good luck with you allotments this year and I hope you all have good crops :)
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I planted mine on Sunday and didn't get round to netting them against birds but so far the birds haven't touched them.
Lucky begger, spent all day last Friday down the lottie, got most of my seeds in and planted rows of Red Baron onion sets, by the time id gone home to get my netting next doors escapee chickens had had the lot, and dust bathed in my seed rows.
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Was going to go down the allotment today but the weather has turned against me AGAIN!!!! I am going to get these onions in this week come hail rain or thunder!
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petemason-you're in lincolnshire too!
chucking it down outside aint it?!
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Its seems like the rain is over most of the country. Hope it is nicer tommorow. I can stand short showers as I go into my greenhouse to shelter.
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petemason-you're in lincolnshire too!
chucking it down outside aint it?!
You're not kidding Kitty and we're supposed to be going on our maiden family camping trip at the weekend!!
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oo-er!
pack yer snorkels! ;D
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They forcasted a nice weekend :) Hope it is ok for you!
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Sexy Snail
I managed to plant my onions on Sunday and that was my first planting in my newly aquired lottie
So everything else is going to be late in as well but like the advice given, I dont think it really matters if the weather isnt right whats the point.
The seasons are all to c * c k anyway
alright kitty i am going in a bit dont panic ::)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y78/thiseldo/29.gif)
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Only got my allotment in April/May last year. I was much later planting out than my fellow allotmenteers. My stuff caught theirs up in no time as the soil was nice and warm when I planted out.
Do NOT worry about being late......You Aren't!
John ;)
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Thanks for the advice. I am going down allotment friday all being well. Going to make a concerted effort to get some onions in.
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slugcatcher!
i shall expect a fully planted allotment by sat'day! ;D
jump to it!
kitty ;)
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slugcatcher!
i shall expect a fully planted allotment by sat'day! ;D
jump to it!
kitty ;)
She means it! Don't get on the wrong side of Lincolnshire women.
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hahahah! ;Dpetemason! ::) ;)
i am only lincolnshire by extraction-i was extracted from liverpool at a very early age..what you said still holds true tho! ;)
notce-sluggy is too busy to post!
*kitty sighs with satisfaction*!
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Dont worry they will be in before the 3rd of May. I have to dig the beds first and remove a load of @!~#)*^% Bindweed and couch grass. Then once that is clear I will put some muck on the soil and rotavate it in. I was going to rotavate the whole plot but with the bindweed and couch in there I have decided not to do that. Instead dig small beds about 6 foot wide and 8 foot long. Then keeping the paths clean by howing and weedkiller. I will also make a trench from where my beds end to my that to stop any roots from crossing over.
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I am busy Kitty
Moving that fast i dont leave a trail ::)
A mixture of Lincolne and Liverpool must be frightening, ;D
I had better keep moving ;D
Sorry Kitty it wont be fully planted but a harvest is expected (fingers crossed)
Ron
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Its all slugs and snails so far on this page :D
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Hope no one brings the salt
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I have come to realise that the onions will catch up. I am going to plant them in the next few days. Hopefully all in by wednesday next week. I have 302 onion sets to plant :o
Thats not including the red onions. As you may have realised I like growing and eating onions. Thats why I am or was gettting rather panicy.
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A mixture of Lincolne and Liverpool must be frightening,
you better beleive it sluggy! ;) ;D
i am apussycat really! :-*
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Just to say that all my maincrop onions are in! The first bit of good weather and 6 hours later with a broken back and sunburn they are all in :D Lets see what sort a crop I get. I must confess I am not the onlyone with onions just going in on my site most of the onions are not showing through yet on the other plots. So hopefully being it is warmer and is going to be damp they should shoot off. Lets see shall we. I will keep you all informed!
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Ok as promised an update. Better late than never ::)
I have harvested the onions and they where not the best. It is because the wind had blown over the tops of the onions and stopped them from growing on. Also I think I left the weeds to grow around them to much so they zapped all of the moisture and nutrients :-\ O well ::) As the saying goes there is always next year.
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Or- don't wait until next year - do some overwintering onions this year, for harvesting before the maincrop are ready next year. I am evangelical about overwintering onion sets after my fabulous success with them this year.
The sets are available in garden centres now, for planting in the Autumn. Then they seem to bulb up nicely at the beginning of june.
They don't keep as well as the maincrop - so just do a couple of rows to tide you over...
Sarah.
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I think I overdid it buying 1kg of onion sets! Ah well I am new to this!
All my neighbours can have some..
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Onions as with shoes - you can't have too many ;D
I'm with you there, Wardy!
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I bought 2Kg of sets yesterday, and I'll have another 2 Kg of the 'normal' sort in the spring. We eat loads.
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I haven't even bought my sets yet. Skates on baggy.
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Baggy I think you have got plenty of time yet!
Robert, yes we eat loads of onions as they are good for you and there is nothing like the sweet taste of an allotment grown onion on your salad :)
The_Snail
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Mine are still on the shops shelf :P :)
The_Snail
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I went into Wilkinsons a couple of days ago, couldn't find any sets anywhere. But I am not in any rush, for the ground is still occupied by the sweetcorn ...
Sometime in October will be fine by me.
Derekthefox :D
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derek-i rang wilkos up the other day to ask when they'd be in and apparently they dont have them....i thought tey did in the past...
anyway-the garden centres have got them in now....
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Hi there,I also live in stoke on trent,and have just taken on an allotment,but unfortunatley for me it was too late to plant anything.so will have to wait until next spring.
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No it's not! I'm still shovelling stuff in, though whether it'll grow is a different matter :) Clear some beds, you can get spinach in, plant stuff to overwinter, onions, garlic etc. I'm pretty new to this and rather daft (see blog below for proof) but plenty of people on these boards can advise you better; you'll get bored if you have to wait till spring!
There's one person, can't remember who, seems to grow nearly as much in the winter as they do in the summer :D
This person is not me.
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Agree with bupster, get onion sets, winter radish, winter spinach in now - the weeds don't grow so fat in winter! ;D
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i award The Bupster the Medal For Eternal Optimism!
;D
muriel-feel free to..ahem!''shovell stuff ina la bupster-but a sure fire grower in winter are the overwintering onions they're in the garden centers now-they'll be ready from about april-and garlic -put it in in october(merlinsmum says thats the time)
o-and you can still shovell muck onto your veg plot-and come on here-teas at 3 and bring a packet of biccys!
kitty
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A mixture of Lincolne and Liverpool must be frightening,
you better beleive it sluggy! ;) ;D
i am apussycat really! :-*
I'm a mixture of Warrington and Lincoln - so with you on tha tone.
PS Up the Wire!
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I've never won a medal before 8)
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my Dobies onion sets won't arrive until October :o if at all (that's another story >:()
I figure if the plants are on sale in the market, it's time to plant! Today they had white and purple broccoli plants, winter and spring cabbage and spring greens. Go for it! ;D ;D ;D
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I figure if the plants are on sale in the market, it's time to plant!
I would not really agree with that idea. For example there could be summer bedding plants for sale early april in full flower. People plant them out then the next week they are all dead because of a bad spell of hard frost.
My opinion is that it is not the markets that stipulate when you need to plant, but it is the weather that stipulates the planting time.
Hope that did not sound to nasty. I did not mean it to sound as though I was having a go at you :)
The_Snail
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I have not grown winter onions now for about 2 years so its time I started again. I still have plenty of time as I never used to put them in until the first/second week of october with my garlic :) I must confess I did get a very good crop from my winter varietys.
The_Snail
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No worries snail, I should add that I am a beginner and green as grass ;) I'm trying to keep up with the old boys who grow 2000 varieties of brassica (esp. caulis) all year round and throw most of them in the compost heap when they get leggy ??? Can't grumble, I don't grow caulis and some end up in my pot ;D
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Its never to late!!!!! Starting out this spring for the first time I bought some cheap rather dry garlic..in April!!! I know why now but still got 80% success and some nice cloves. Onions went in at the same time and got loads.
This year. Got some sets in the garage but waiting to clear space. Never fear, they'll still grow this year! ;D
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Sprout my idea about growing cabages is grow as much as you can eat over a year or season. That way you are not wasting time tending something that you will not eat, also you are saving money on seed because you can store the seeds that are left in the fridge and they will keep for 7 years atleast :)
Good luck with your spring cabages by the way :)
Posted by: Icyberjunkie
Its never to late!!!!! Starting out this spring for the first time I bought some cheap rather dry garlic..in April!!! I know why now but still got 80% success and some nice cloves.
I started mine off in pots this year as it was cold and wet, the soil was water logged. Put them in rather late. The garlic have come out of the ground with no skin on them just cloves. Naked Garlic :o So the plan of action now is to put those cloves back into the ground in October and see if doing it that way we get a better crop. If it does not work then I have not lost anything apart from a bit of space on the plot. Nothing ventured nothing gained!
The_Snail
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Ok I got myself 100 sunshyu Yellow winter onion sets and 50 Red ones. (Never grown red onions over winter ::)) So Maybe this week or next I will pop down and plant them in. I will keep you informed on this thread on how they do and how they crop :)
The_Snail
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Ooh s_s I didn't know not to plant red onions over winter and they are sprouting merrily! ;D all tender and greeen and waiting for the first frost :'( Will have to keep fingers x'd and hoped for the best, perhaps with the help of Straw! Good luck with your little 'uns over the winter ::)
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I am getting more than a little concerned with my garlic and onion order from Dobies. The order was placed in the first week of September and I have called 3 times so far to chase it up. 10 days ago they said they were about to ship, today they said they should ship early next week.
I am not sure I believe them!
Jerry
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I haven't ordered any garlic or onions yet, think it is the mild weather making me think it is ealier in the year than it is!!
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I ordered some Japanese onion sets and shallots from Kings which haven't come yet, but I am not concerned as I usually put the onion sets in in November and the garlic. They are usually ready about June, - we had a bumper crop this year I am pleased to say, so I must be doing something right. :) busy_lizzie
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wardy and sanders-how many times have you heard the phrase'the garlic's in the post??'
yes-well..there you are! ;D
sprout-i dont know what the difference is between the onions you plant in the spring-ish and the ones that are available to plant now to over winter......(someone here will know)but if you bought them recently even tho they are sprouting and not in the soil yet i think they'll be ok!
doris!get yert skates on gal!its unseasonably mild here-but raining cats and dogs as i type-and nothing seems to be really dieing as early as it usually does.....
they do say it'll be a hard winter tho-so-winter draws on! ;D
(that goes for you too wardy!)
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Hooray, the senshyu onion sets from Dobies arrived today! ;D It says plant from Sept-November on the labels, so I can relaaax and think where on earth they will fit. Onion borders anyone? :P
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Get digging supersprout ;D
I am going to put mine on an old spud bed. I think.
The_Snail
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I grew red onions over winter last year, and they did wonderfully, altho they didn't store for as long as the whites. I know japanese onions do not store because of the high water content, but I do okay and have my last one yet to use! ;D
Still waiting for my onions and garlic to come from Dobies, but picked up a pack for a couple of quid in our local nursery on Tuesday. Will get them in on Friday...tis better than nothing!
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My onion sets came this morning, so I am all ready to go. :) busy_lizzie
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great! ;D
glad to hear everyones 'gone to seed'!
now-get planting people!
wardy-you could always put the cleaning kits in their rooms and call it a d.i.y.b&B.....o....ah...thats home isnt it?!hahah! ;D
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Kitty - do you know of anywhere round here that sells winter onion sets - I have as yet been unable to find any although I have not tried Whisby yet.
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Dare I mention the wonderful market stall in Downham Market on Friday mornings again? He has de onions 8)
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hope you didn't fall on anything prickly wardy ::)
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i saw you wardy-and i laughed immoderately! ;D
clanger! :)
scothern nursery-that where i got mine-whisby arent getting any apparently!-too busy stocking up with plastic plants! ::)
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Mine arrived from Dobies today, and they are very good quality I feel. Last year I bought from Marshalls and they came in a padded envelope and looked as though they had been trodden on and squished. Marshalls did send me new, but a lot of those were wet and mouldy! These from Dobies came in a box, all firm, no sign of mould and all perfect - no damaged ones at all! Very pleased indeedy. All things being equal, my garlics and hunions will be planted on Monday. ;D
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You rotter you. I wondered who it was snickering in the undergrowth
muhwahahaha!
if you need a snickerer in the Hundergrowth-i'm yer wummun! ;D
yes-13p a bulb they may be-but not as wonderfully and humanely grown as garlic from your own fair digits wardy!
ahh...
you could charge a fortune with the right kinda hype you know!
look at m&s ads!
*kitty puts on sexy faintly oirish voice'This is not just garlic this is free range garlic-plucked carefully as they scamper happily in the wardy garlic groves in downtown sunny chesterfield'......
see?
you could so easily be snapped up by marks and sparks!
and so could i!!!!!!!! 8) ;)
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begorrah and bejabers!
(and before anyone accuses me of being politically incorrect,i am liverpool/irish so neeeeeerr!)
a web site?
are we privy to this 'ere web site then?
or is it 'private?' 8)
when you do make you millions remember the little people who helped you make them...
no,i dont mean the leprachauns......... ::)
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Still not to late. PUt in my garlic on Tuesday and it has already sprouted along with the red onions. My white onions have been slower. They were put in a couple of weeks ago and just showing!
Iain
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I've had a look at your web page Wardy - very professional, and your house looks very smart and would be just the sort of b&b we would go for with full english on offer (if only we were ever needing to go to Chesterfield - where is it anyway?! :))
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http://www.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?client=public&X=450000.913497652&Y=370000.537684846&width=700&height=400&gride=447511.913497652&gridn=370684.537684846&srec=0&coordsys=gb&db=freegaz&addr1=&addr2=&addr3=&pc=&advanced=&local=&localinfosel=&kw=&inmap=&table=&ovtype=&zm=0&out.x=4&out.y=9&scale=100000
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flippin 'ek clanger-you could reach chesterfield with that url! ;D
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cor wardy-its lubly! :D
we used to live in a very similar place(for those of you with very long map co-ordinates-CLANGER)it was at the top of yarborough road!
shame we cant see your hard work and hospital corners wardy!
i wanted to see if you have doilies in the rooms-t'aint a b&b without doilies. ;D
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The best one I ever got asked for whilst working in a hotel was garlic butter to go on their toast, not don't get me wrong I love garlic, but for breakfast with your cuppa??? :o
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I did a course with an Indian lady - she spoke with a Geordie/Indian accent, which was fairly entertaining, and I had to laugh when out of her sandwich box came her cheese roll, followed by a couple of small whole red chillies, which she just ate with her sandwiches like they were crisps!
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better? :)
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*sigh* ::)
i spose..still a smidge long mate....... ;D
wot?no doilies????? ;D
thank gawd fer that.
i think that wins the Best Use of a Doily medal! ;)
Mr wardy under a doily!
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still a smidge long mate....... ;D
Can't help that Kitty :o ::)
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i forgive you clanger! ;)
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Can't even find any onion sets round here to put in. Anyone seen them in the B&Q type shops at all ?
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no antimaccassars??
good grief woman!
you are obviously a slattern and a lazy tyke to boot!
no doilies OR antimaccassars?
well!
i'll go to the foot of........hang on..,,,,,,we havent got any stairs..
well!i'll go to the foot of YOUR stairs!
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Its official my japanese onions went in on 27/10/05
Planted 100 Senshyu Yellow Improved
Planted 50 Overwinter Red 'Electric'
All onions where planted in the same place as the summer onions. No manure was added because it was added this summer for the summer onions. Only thing added to the soil was Growmore. I will be adding blood fish and bone in the spring to give them a good boost.
I will keep you all posted.
The_Snail
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I was working om my plot yesterday (27/10/05) and the day was loverly. I was working in a T-Shirt and was sweating. The warm sun on my back and the sky was blue and the birds where singing. It was good to be alive. The only bad thing was the bad back after all the digging and planting. I can live with that though. For the end of october we had tempritures of 21-22 Degrees Celcius and I cannot remember a day as warm as that ever for the end of October. What a day.
The_Snail
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Glad you managed to get your onions sets in SS. We put ours in, in November last year and we had a fine crop. Ours were put in a fortnight ago. I worked at my lottie yesterday and had to put sunblock on the sun was so hot - unbelievable isn't it? I have heard though that once the winter kicks in it is going to be quite severe this year.
I loved your B&B house Wardy and think it looks very welcoming. Nice to see where you live. :) busy_lizzie
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With regards to the forcast of a cold winter. I will belive that when I see it. I think they say that every year hopeing that they are right but most of the time they are wrong.
The_Snail
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My onion sets are going in tomorrow it will be the first crop planted into our allotment any advise when we do them? I'm all excited :) silly isn;t it...
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We always have the problem of the birds pulling the onion sets out, so when we go we have to keep popping them in again. So I think it is helpful to put a net over them until you see the green shoots coming out. :) busy_lizzie
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Onions and garlic are in...... But ???
I've got a feeling i've planted them too deep....does that mean they won't grow?
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Most of my onions are a bit deep as well - but it all depends on who you talk to. Alan Titchmarsh always buries his because the pigeons can't get them and he says it makes no difference with regards to size.
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Can anyone tell me the advantage of sowing/planting onions & garlic now rather than in the Spring....I've had my lottie for 2 seasons now and have planted mine early Spring and have had pretty good crops of both...
Isn't there more risk of rotting etc. if we get a very wet, cold winter?
so why do you do it?
p.s. I live in the south of England btw....
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As far as I can tell it is dependant on variety (Japanese onion sets always plant in Autumn) and apart from that its to get bigger sets.
I put mine in about 4 weeks ago and all sprouting away very happily. Mind you the RHS states best time for planting is August! Nice if you could get sets that early.......
I'm right on the south coast so also still 'basking' in 16oC days 8)
Iain
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Garlic is definitly better now as the final result is generally bigger. You are also surer of them being cold enough, long enough for them to seperate into Cloves.
Onions I plant some now and some in the Spring. The ones planted now are ready earlier so really its just a succession thing.
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i planted onion sets and garlic today. the idea is, as RC states, that the garlic will be big and properly cloved, and the onions will be finished early. so i can get something else in on my teeny weeny plot : ) (when we say early, RC, what do we mean? just wondering when my lettuces will go in afterwards ;D)
oh, and of course, it gives me something to look at while i dig over the surrounding beds :)
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My onion/garlic regime:
August: sow overwintering onion seed
September: plant overwintering onion sets
October: plant garlic cloves
November: forget about bl**dy onions
December: sow maincrop onion seed (in pots in greenhouse)
January: ditto
February (late): plant white maincrop onion sets
March: plant out maincrop onion seedlings
April (early): plant red onion sets and elephant garlic
May/June: harvest OW onions
July/August: harvest garlic and maincrop white onions
September: harvest elephant garlic and red onions
January: run out of stored onions again, plan to do better next year!
Et voila. I supplement all this with spring onions, welsh onions and leeks. Still not a big enough allium fix. :-\
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Do I take it you like onions then.................. ;D
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I don't know a decent main course recipe which doesn't start with onion and garlic...!
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Exactly TM......and i bet there are tinned/preserved toms in that somewhere too!!
I cant cook unless there is a mushroom in the house either......even if they dont go in the recipe, I just have to know they are there. Is it just me?......Probably!!
;D ;D
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From one Onion lover to any others out there ..... a feast of .... well, onion info !http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Onion {:¬)#
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Ok a little update on the Japanese onions or the winter onions.
Been down to the allotment today (15 November 2005) and found that they had just started to sprout :D So I told them to get a Bl*%&y move on as we are going to have a hard winter. So they say ::)
I forgot to take my garlic with me! Curses.
The_Snail
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Still haven't found any in the shops. Don't know if it'stoo late to send off ?
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I've got tons left over Baggy, let me know how many you need.
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The February ones won't be Japanese. We place two orders, one for Senshyu to arrive in October and the other for Sturon, Stuttgart, Red Baron etc for Feb. If anyone's stuck for Japanese onions I've got around 10 kilos left.
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As 50 only costs around 24p to me I think I can spare them lol.
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I planted Radar - are these Japanese?
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I planted Radar - are these Japanese?
Yes. I have planted radar, electric (red onion) and Senshyu Yellow.
You can find some fairly good descriptions at the page below.
Iain
http://www.battlesbridgemillsgardencentre.co.uk/Seed_Potatoes_Onion_Sets.htm
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Thanks cyber - another site for my ever extending Shopping>Gardening>Seeds bookmarks. It will soon be off the bottom of my screen.
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I've got separate folders in my favourites for seeds, gardening techniques. allotment forums and other supplies.