Autumn planted onions and garlic

[Grandma]

I planted my onion sets and garlic in mid-October last year. Can anyone please tell me when they might be ready to harvest? I only have a tiny veg patch now and need the space for summer stuff! Thank you.

[Grandma]

[Magnolia]

I dont think they'll be ready until June.

[flowerlady]

I did the same and will tyr to leave them as long as possible ... hot dry days needed to dry them off etc ... but certainly until June/July :)

[J]

I grew 2 crops of onions last year but the overwintered ones were not ready much before the spring planted ones and they blocked the plot until June, so I couldn't get my salads, greens and parsnips in. >:(  I won't be bothering with overwintering onions again.  But a bit of garlic's OK.
j

[saddad]

Hello J and welcome to the site...  ;D

[Grandma]

It seemed such a good idea at the time- using the space over winter.

Oh bugger.

Welcome to the loony bin, J!

[antipodes]

From this year's experience, I would say that next year overwinter your garlic (which likes the cold) but I wouldn't bother with the onions. I don't find they get that much bigger by being planted in the autumn, I did mine about 7 or 8 weeks ago and they are going great guns. The garlic sat for several weeks underground them slowly came up but the necks are looking thick and healthy and it seems much bigger than last year's spring planted ones.
I agrees that alliums take up space but then you keep your own onion supply for weeks and weeks which is nice. They have more flavour than shop bought ones too ;)  (and cheaper, I have been known to pay over 4 euros a kilo for red onions!!)

[cambourne7]

Hi Grandma,

Welcome ;)

While your waiting for the onions why not start some carrots the onion smell will help with stopping carrot fly and will be growing down as your onions grow up. You could also try salad crops, radish and beetroot around our onions.

cambourne7

[manicscousers]

hiya J nice to meet you
grandma, I've started using mine as spring onions, so's we've got some room, I'm leaving some in, the bigger ones  ;D

[allaboutliverpool]

Next year, plant your onions 1 inch apart in rows 6 inches apart. As the onions grow, you can pull some as spring onions and others as they grow, gradually thinning them out.
You will find that some of them will reach reasonable proportions up to the size of a lemon, but you will have hardly used any space.

Try planting the garlic in spare spaces, for example next to fruit bushes or in the flower bed. Results will not be perfect, but once again you will save space.

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html

[bupster]

For some reason I never have any luck with spring planted onions (though of course I'm trying them again this year!). I like the idea of planting them close and pulling them as they go for spring onions. Might try that next year as I want to try growing from seed. However, I'm always happy to give up the space for onions as they just taste so much better. Not sure if they would compete well with other stuff, I know they hate weeds.

If you need to free up space perhaps you could pull a few for greens now and replant some close together for greens later? You might be able to interplant with the garlic, it's tough as old boots.

[PurpleHeather]

Last year I was glad I had planted winter onions. They grew well in the early warm spring.

When the rains started they were big enough to lift and lasted me well until Christmas. The Spring planted ones rotted in the ground.

This year the winter ones look a sad mess and I would like to dig them up and  replant the area.

[glow777]

i always plant both spring and winter. Because of the unpredictable weather one always does well the other rubbish - so you are at least guaranteed some onions, i follow the winter onions with spring cabbage caulis so the ground is used is not wasted

[redimp]

Winter planted ones fill a gap between finishing last years main crop and harvesting this years.  They do not keep so well but as others have said, they can be pulled early and eaten fresh - in fact they are lovely this way.  Unless we have a year like last year, you only need them to last 2-3 months.  My maincrops from last year are just starting to spoil - not bad considering how wet it was imo and my overwintering are just getting to a harvestable size without being called spring onions.  Start witht the ones that are getting thick necks as these are the ones that are going to bolt and once they have done that, they won't get much bigger anyway.  I useful gap crop imo and I am growing more this year.

Onions on the left, garlic on the right - taken about three weeks ago.  The beer cans are what I put on the end of cane because they do not blow off - honest :-[

[Grandma]

Thank you all for the ideas, info and good advice. Some I will be putting into practise this year, others I will use for next. Great stuff! Thanks again.

[Robert_Brenchley]

The beer cans are what I put on the end of cane because they do not blow off - honest :-[

Ah, but what happens to the contents first? You expect us to believe you give it all to the slugs?