Spring onions from sets

[lillian]

This year I decided to  grow spring onions from sets rather then sow seed with good results. I wondered if I were to plant some more sets now would I get a  autumn crop?

[lillian]

[lillian]

Found a post on another gardening forum. Apparently you can plant sets in July and August for a autumn and winter crop. So I'm off to buy some sets on ebay. :)

[cornykev]

 ??? :-\

[tomatoada]

I have never come across sets for spring onions.

[InfraDig]

I have used small onion sets in pots as spring onion replacements if needed, but always grown spring onions from seed, including winter hardy types

[lillian]

??? :-\

I totally fail at germinating spring onion seed and it the same every year. Don't have the same problem with leek or ordinary onions seed.  

http://www.growveg.com/growblogpost.aspx?id=182
http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1750

[lillian]

I have never come across sets for spring onions.

Just use the ordinary mild onion sets.

[davyw1]

Have i got this right.

What you do is set your onions away as normal to produce normal globe onions. You also set away the same sets at intervals but just pull them early before they fill out which is , basically a large spring onion.
If this is correct then i think it would work as an onion depending on the weather is a sixty day crop. Although i dont see the point when you can plant Welsh Bunching Onion  and have them vertualy all year round and never have to bother with spring onions.

[lillian]

Just plant the sets closer together then you would normally and use them as immature onions. Am now using onions planted 4/5 weeks ago for this purpose and they are Delicious much nicer than normal spring onions. As for Welsh bunching onions I have no experience of them...

[manicscousers]

One of the older blokes on our site uses all his shallots as spring onions  :)

[torquil]

I use shallots as spring onions as do a lot more on our site taste delicious. pick them before they grow too  big  that way they are not too strong. ;D ;D

[grawrc]

Is it not quite a pricey way to get spring onions? Mind you I'm sure they'll taste fabulous. I certainly grow Long Red Florence and use as spring onions, but from seed, which is considerably cheaper.

[grannyjanny]

I think someone mentioned doing this last year when onion sets were down to 50p in Wilkies. I did it on daughters plot & they were lovely.

[Russell]

My shallot crop always has a few which are too small to eat but which if saved and planted next spring will make great spring onions.

[lillian]

Is it not quite a pricey way to get spring onions? Mind you I'm sure they'll taste fabulous. I certainly grow Long Red Florence and use as spring onions, but from seed, which is considerably cheaper.

I've spent alot on spring onion  seed in the past that have not germinated and I sure I'm not the only one ::)

[grawrc]

Fair enough. No point doing it if it doesn't work for you. I think I must just have been lucky.

[pigeonseed]

yes I don't know why spring onions don't germinate when normal onions seem to germinate really reliably.

If spring onions are such rubbish germinators, why don't we all give up and go back to growing normal onions from seed, and eating them young, which is surely where spring onions as a crop came from in the first place? (Thinnings?)

Good point about welsh onions davyw1

[antipodes]

I never manage spring onions, hopeless. I usually get a few spring onions by leaving the very smallest onions in to over winter: they always come back up and every time I go down, I grab one or two, just enough for a salad or stirfry!

[goodlife]

I used to have bit hit and miss results with spring onion seeds untill I started to cover the seed with grit rather than sieved compost. Ever since I've been having super germination.
I wonder if it is the weight of the grit that holds the moisture and weights the seeds against the compost.

[Spudbash]

I bought some bags of shallot and onion sets very cheaply just a few weeks ago and have planted some in containers as an experiment.

At 20p a bag for the onion sets, I can hardly go far wrong, can I?!  ;D