Well I've just got my first allotment (well jungle at least) busy digging etc..... and I've bought three bags of onion sets, white, yellow and red, the packets call for planting in Oct,Nov or December, but all I've read on the internet calls for planting around March :-\. I have to admit to being a total novice, so when would you recomend I plant the sets?, the soil is good, we're at sea level (just about) so have little frost if any. The plot is quite sheltered with a lot of light (it runs South to North). Any help much appreciated.
Hi Pjb,
There are 2 kinds of onion sets which we buy .One is set in early spring Feb Mar April.. these are usually called spring or summer sets.
The ones sold now are winter sets ..These are sown in the autumn . Oct Nov.
These are sometimes reffered to as Jap sets.
If the packets say autumn then it is a safe bet that you have bought overwintering types. Plant them when it says, they will stay in the ground during the cold season and growth will take off again in the spring. I am sure you will get lovely onions like that. garlic is grown like that too.
You can plant in the spring of course, about March, I did that this year but I am not convinced that they are big enough that way.
PJB Welcome to the forum, you picked the best site :)
Congrats on your lottie.
Just like you I have just got my first lottie (Ahem jungle) and I'm also just above sea level. I'm hoping it won't get much frost either
Lauren :)
OK thanks, I'll plant in Oct/Nov. Would it make any differance to harvesting times if I planted some a month apart? or would the later planted ones catch up and be ready at the same time?
Earlier is better, usually... they get a good root run going while the weather stays warm so can grow faster in Spring, if you plant later in Nov they might not get well established and could rot in the ground in a bad winter...
:-\
I find the earlier they're planted, the bigger the bulbs. if they don't get etablished before winter, they won't come through. So definitely next month.
I've read this thread with interest as I bought a bag of sets today (95p)! I was going to hang on until October but if planting earlier gives the sets more time to get established, would it be possible to plant tomorrow or are there other factors to bear in mind?
Alastair
If you put them out too soon Alistair they can become too big and "soft" and be damaged by frosts... Start of Oct is about right with a week either way for local variation..
:-\
i love planting autumn onion sets its one of my favourite times. all the hectic activity of the summer is past and you can relax a bit and the weeds slow down and you can contemplate al the things you are going to do over the winter. l love it.
Make you right on that one Sarah. ;D ;D ;D
How should sets be stored if you've got them already but won't be planting until October?
I had some onion sets (and garlic) go rotten on me before I got them in last year.
one year i laid them loosly on compost in a tray with the tip up and root end sitting on the compost. they start to root a bit but thats ok apparently and then just pop them in when you are ready. they grew fine.