Hi there,
been down the plot to find the onions and shallots going wild with growth and thickening up nicely, nipped a few seed head of bolting red onions but bar that should be a good year for onions,
click here for pictures of our Impressive onions (http://lottieblogs.co.uk/jw1.aspx)
hows yours? bigger? smaller? more bolt? or even the dreaded white rot?
other news this week, celery in, pumpkins in, brussels in, runners in, and dwarf beans in.
regards
lottieblogs (http://www.lottieblogs.co.uk)
Onion sets planted Oct, on the small size but going to seed. Red onions growing nicely from seed not sure when they will be ready though.
Onions and Shallots were planted late, so smaller than yours, but looking great too. The onion seed are also growing, well either that or I have a line of fine grass just under an inch tall!!
I grew Buntons Show Stopper, Bedfordshire Giant and Walla Walla from seed this year. They are all doing fine. I decided to try some in the greenhouse bed to see if they liked the extra protection, and they are looking like they will be whoppas! I just hope it wont get too hot for them soon and they run to seed.
Does anyone think that will be a problem?
cj :)
To be truthful I have *no* idea! I planted red onion sets, but only at the beginning of April, so am guessing it will be ages yet :-\ No idea how long they take tho!
They are thickening up on top, about 12-18" long, but if I rummage just below the surface, its just like a purple extension of the thickness of the stem above ground?!!
It's my 2nd try at onions - they are doing much better than my first attempt - thickening and swelling nicely...
But they have all run to bolt!! Are Red Baron well known for this? Or is there something I'm doing wrong? I got all the flower heads early - so they should still be good onions? Yes?
They've also had a lot of slug attack - but they've coped okay - on the rainy days I've collected 50 or 60 slugs just picking them off the stems and leaves!
Apparently bolting can be caused by the sets going into cold wet soil - although as you're supposed to plant them round about Feb I don't know how you're supposed to avoid this.
3 or 4 of my red onions have bolted; I nipped off the seed heads while they were tiny and they're just doing their own thing now. I understand that the onions will be fine but won't keep so long.
My onions both red and white are still small - I guess up to now they have been concentrating on growing leaves, and now they've done this they'll turn their attention to swelling. (Or I will just have very small onions with lots of leaves.)
shame red's start to bolt, got them quick enought they should still be good
It's true, the ground was cold and wet when I planted them in Feb - surprise surprise - or were you watching me Electric Landlady? Maybe I could have pre-warmed with cloches / black plastic?
Well it's too late now.
I'll just have to eat them all very quickly.
I've heard that it's worth putting down big panes of glass on your onion bed before sowing your sets to warm up the earth a little.
Yeh my onions look like they are doing well.
(http://backyard.8m.net/garden%20veg/05.06.07/280_8061.JPG)
definitley looking good, there spuds arent bad too
After all my failures last week! this week i have found out i have the dreaded white rot, all my japanease onions shallots and garlic etc covered in the white mold and also maggots :'( so been up today and pulled them all up and binned them... i can't believe how unlucky i've been :-[
planted shallots and red and white onions from sets mid-April, I think. I spotted three onions that have bolted so will need to take off the flower heads, but other than that they seem to be doing fine! :o
Quote from: veggie lover on June 06, 2007, 13:01:07
After all my failures last week! this week i have found out i have the dreaded white rot, all my japanease onions shallots and garlic etc covered in the white mold and also maggots :'( so been up today and pulled them all up and binned them... i can't believe how unlucky i've been :-[
can you plant some in troughs and tubs from seed, veggie..I could send you some seed if necessary :)
Thankyou so much manicscousers, but im so short of room as it is! my plot is 150sq yds and i've seperated it into 3 beds for rotation! i have managed to get a small raised bed at the top for my carrots! I am so tempted to water in some jayes fluid once my lettuse and beans are finished! i know i should'nt but 8 years is a long time when you are short of space to start with! ???
I will try again with a few onions next year where my potatoes have been, just to see! and my brassicas will be where the onions have been this year!
I just can't believe in the space of a fortnight that i can be so unlucky!
but i keep smiling in the face of adversity ;D
My onions and leeks are looking very good,I did around 100 onions from seed which should make great pickled onions that I'll give as xmas presents. (god am I sad?)
Mine are still quite small although no bolting yet. Shallots are dividing up nicely. Currently have 1 row of shallots and 4 of onions covered (again) in bloody weeds!
Quote from: Sprout on June 06, 2007, 22:38:04
Mine are still quite small although no bolting yet. Shallots are dividing up nicely. Currently have 1 row of shallots and 4 of onions covered (again) in bloody weeds!
Ahh weeds, if only the plants would grow so fast.
If they did, the plants would be the weeds and we'd be forever grubbing them out where they weren't wanted! Mine are all weedy as well this year; work's been so hectic I haven't had a chance.
My overwintered onions are showing signs of bolting but then they have been totally neglected. First job today to chop off flowerheads from onions, then dig up the rest of the leeks and the flowering brassica.
wow you still have leeks thats awesome, ours are a disatnt memory now :-) but this years are coming on good
Hello
First time this year doing well so far, One question i have planted 50 "Turbo" onion sets in late april how long do they take before they are ready??
(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c320/srs101/Veg/CRIM0051.jpg)
Cheers
Brogusblue
does this help???
Onion & Shallot Sets
===============
Expected Sprouting time 11-14days
Approximate number per lb (onion sets) 80
Approximate number per lb (shallot sets) 30
Expected yeild from a 10ft row 7lb
Approx time between planting and lifting 20wks Onion Sets & 18wks Shallot Sets
Onion Seed
=========
Expected Germination time 21 days
Approximate number per oz (onion sets) 8000
Expected yeild from a 10ft row 8lb
Life experiance for stored seed 1-2 years
Approx time between planting and lifting 46wks Onion Seed for august sown variaties & 22wks for spring sown varieties
For an august or september crop sow as soon as the land is workable in the spring (late feb to early april)
Sow in mid august for an earlier crop - Japanese variaties mature in late june - standard variaties such as reliance and ailsa crain are less hardy, less reliable and later cropping ( late july onwards) but can be stored.
Salad onions should be sown in march-July for a June-Oct crop, Sow Aug for onions march to May.
pretty sound advice there
Quote from: cambourne7 on June 07, 2007, 17:30:16
does this help???
Onion & Shallot Sets
===============
Expected Sprouting time 11-14days
Approximate number per lb (onion sets) 80
Approximate number per lb (shallot sets) 30
Expected yeild from a 10ft row 7lb
Approx time between planting and lifting 20wks Onion Sets & 18wks Shallot Sets
Onion Seed
=========
Expected Germination time 21 days
Approximate number per oz (onion sets) 8000
Expected yeild from a 10ft row 8lb
Life experiance for stored seed 1-2 years
Approx time between planting and lifting 46wks Onion Seed for august sown variaties & 22wks for spring sown varieties
For an august or september crop sow as soon as the land is workable in the spring (late feb to early april)
Sow in mid august for an earlier crop - Japanese variaties mature in late june - standard variaties such as reliance and ailsa crain are less hardy, less reliable and later cropping ( late july onwards) but can be stored.
Salad onions should be sown in march-July for a June-Oct crop, Sow Aug for onions march to May.
80 red onions lifted this week. All perfect and drying off. Plaiting soon 8)
went down t he plot this morning and spotted a few of my onions have got what looks like grey dust on some of the leaves,the only way i can think to describe it is that it looks like the dust you get in ya hover bag (if memory serves me right 25 years marrid only emptied it the one time and the that was only because it got a pound coin of mine. ::)) Looked it up in me book and i think it is downy mildew and to spray with Dithane, is there another way to get rid. :(
P.s. only jocking about the pound coin ::)...........it was 2 ;D
Absolutely every single overwintering onion set I put in in October and November has bolted!
Shared the lot out with neighbours and we all made onion marmalade. Main crops looking fine, so far, but the overwintering results were so bad I am going to keep to spring planting of sets and home reared seed next year.
If I hadn't burned the bottom of my preserving pan so badly there'd be even more onion jam etc..
I'm good at digging though!
It's strange with me - the overwintered Japanese & red ones are fine (although I don't fancy their storage chances - small patches of botrytis or something similar on about half of them). Shallots are tiny but look like they'll store, and the Red Onion sets put in this year are a little larger than my leeks. Which is small.
Anyone else notice that the Japanese ones don't repeat on you?
Found 4 of my red onions have bolted this morning so I have nipped them off. The base of mine are about 11/2 to 2" in diameter. They are really doing well. Wont be long before I pull them i'm sure. The white onions are not as big but still looking really well.
Cant wait to start harvesting them.
Mossy.
or red o/w bolted, the white we're taking up now..look good..this years reds at the mo, are bulbing up (fingers crossed)
and the ones from seed..long red florence and bedfordshire champion, i think, can't find the packet..they seem ok :)
Don't tend to grow maincrop due to the white rot, but always have reasonable success with Japanese Onions. Here is half of one row. I still have over 100 onions on the plot, and I have maincrop reds, shallots and I planted some maincrop seedlings just as an experiment. Just wish the garlic had done better.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Mrsava/Japanese_onions_2007-1.jpg)
Looking good EJ, I've got about 12 small and 12 large drying out but I had a lot bolted and some were soggy and some mildewy like froglegs. :'( ;D ;D ;D
we're going to try jap onions next year i think
I planted my sets in March, should i lift one and see how they are doing? or best to wait till August?
ChrisG - I would wait if you can see no signs of rot etc..
Delboy - I would be intresting in finding out your recipie
I have a date in the end of July ear marked for cleaning out all my seed trays and will plant next years seed to get ready to move to the plot. I know mine jap onions are small but this is because i sowed the seed in situ. So i am going to get more organised this year.
Thanks cambourne7 ;)
Mmmmmm onion marmalade :-* :-*
Quote from: froglegs on June 08, 2007, 09:00:34
went down t he plot this morning and spotted a few of my onions have got what looks like grey dust on some of the leaves,the only way i can think to describe it is that it looks like the dust you get in ya hover bag (if memory serves me right 25 years marrid only emptied it the one time and the that was only because it got a pound coin of mine. ::)) Looked it up in me book and i think it is downy mildew and to spray with Dithane, is there another way to get rid. :(
P.s. only jocking about the pound coin ::)...........it was 2 ;D
I wouldn't worry about the rust/dust too much, mine looked the same for a while last year but came good in the end.