I checked my japanese overwintering onions.
I planted 250 reds, 250 whites in sep/oct time.
Ive just used 80 sets filling in the vacant holes, and theres still 50 vacant holes, so i lost about 130 sets over the winter - 26% :'(
The missing sets are either totally gone, vanished without trace, or theres the squishy remains of a set that had started to grow, i guess they froze solid and rotted when they thawed out recently
Thought it was just me ::)
oh well
Lost about 50% of mine. ::) ::)
Quote from: lincsyokel2 on March 12, 2011, 16:47:35
I checked my japanese overwintering onions.
I planted 250 reds, 250 whites in sep/oct time.
Ive just used 80 sets filling in the vacant holes, and theres still 50 vacant holes, so i lost about 130 sets over the winter - 26% :'(
The missing sets are either totally gone, vanished without trace, or theres the squishy remains of a set that had started to grow, i guess they froze solid and rotted when they thawed out recently
i oftain wonder if its worth the time and effort just to get onions a few weeks early'er i think not, but thats only my opinion
As i am fairly new to the wonders of allotmenting and have never grown overwintering onions i did ask the opinion of one of the more experienced plot holders, he had tried them and said you would probably loose at least one third, so as yet i have not tried myself but sometimes a challenge is nice ;D
I grow them in tubs where I had carrots last year because other wise I get awfull White rot.
Seems to work though I think Jim's got a point. They do survive better that way though/
I lost far more then normal too... :'(
That's why I didn't plant any; I lost about 90% last year.
This is why I put mine under a cloche.
Having said that. this year even the cloche was ripped to shreds.......but the bed that didn't have a cloche is still full - a couple of holes but nothing too worrying.
Up until last year we got good results from over wintering onions, but In my opinion the winters have been much colder and they cannot really stand up to the cold. for a few years we were lulled into mild winters. ???
Lost nearly all my onions and garlic, but my mussleburgh and tadorna leeks came through fine.
I planted a large bed with onions and garlic as did a guy across the path.
My onions on the whole survived the winter but very few garlic. Where as on the other plot all garlic survived but only five onions! ???
ripley
Our are planted under enviromesh and they are ok.
Quote from: ripley on March 13, 2011, 08:19:15
I planted a large bed with onions and garlic as did a guy across the path.
My onions on the whole survived the winter but very few garlic. Where as on the other plot all garlic survived but only five onions! ???
ripley
yes, i have noticed this perverse sense of humour mother nature has...................
Only lost the odd onion but half my leeks and all my winter cauliflowers bit the dust.
I lost all my seed-grown overwintering onions, all my aquadulce broad beans, and the overwintering caulis are producing heads that a sprouting old loose purple broccoli would be embarrassed by.... garlic survived though.....
You can still eat those caulis. Did your broccoli make it?
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 13, 2011, 19:41:17
You can still eat those caulis. Did your broccoli make it?
I don't grow broccoli, it's an heretical, disgusting, foreign, adulteration of the noble cauli, and I won't tolerate it.... it also tastes ming....
Quote from: chriscross1966 on March 14, 2011, 12:46:27
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 13, 2011, 19:41:17
You can still eat those caulis. Did your broccoli make it?
I don't grow broccoli, it's an heretical, disgusting, foreign, adulteration of the noble cauli, and I won't tolerate it.... it also tastes ming....
French cauliflower................the fact it goes well with cheese says something................
Quote from: chriscross1966 on March 14, 2011, 12:46:27
I don't grow broccoli, it's an heretical, disgusting, foreign, adulteration of the noble cauli, and I won't tolerate it.... it also tastes ming....
I think it's the other way round actually. Broccoli go back to Roman times, while caulis are an innovation which doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere before 1600.
I'd never tried overwintering onions before but put some in this time as a bit of an experiment. Have been pleasingly surprised as most seem to have survived...
I did do one thing different to 'normal' onions though, I earthed them up a bit rather than leaving the tops showing like you do normally. Not sure if this helped, or is even a good idea, but they seem okat the moment...
My only worry is that now the worst of the weather is over the onions may rot as they're more under the soil than perhaps they should be... Has anyone else done this? Should I un-earth them a little at some point to let the air get to them?
Any ideas? :)
Don't worry, I bury mine a bit as well. I lose them because of waterlogging rather than cold, though the sort of winter we've been having seems to make the problems worse.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on March 14, 2011, 17:28:28
Quote from: chriscross1966 on March 14, 2011, 12:46:27
I don't grow broccoli, it's an heretical, disgusting, foreign, adulteration of the noble cauli, and I won't tolerate it.... it also tastes ming....
I think it's the other way round actually. Broccoli go back to Roman times, while caulis are an innovation which doesn't seem to be mentioned anywhere before 1600.
I like both- the history of our vegetables is something I'd love to learn more about when time permits- HA HA HA ;D!