Following on from the "What are we going to do diffferently next year" I am going to try over wintering onions from seed for the first time.
I was hoping that someone here could point me in the direction of a decent variety and method - ie when to sow, whether to sow directly etc..
Thanks in advance..
Only ones I've grown for winter growing..with different degree of success.. :-\..are Japanese onions.
As for sowing time..its now. I've done them sowing them in GH , grown on to transplant as small plants into final position later on.
Senshyu Yellow is good hardy one that has worked "best" ::)..so far for me.
But as there is so little difference for cropping time for winter onions and getting some first shallots with 'normal' growing..I'm not bothering with winter growing anymore..far too many losses..
But you being so much far down south..it maybe different story there.
Thanks goodlife - I have basically given up with overwintering sets so thought I may have more success with seed. I have noticed that most of the old timers on my site (the ones that know what they are doing!) no longer bother with overwintering any onions.
I'm trying Sturon from Real Seeds. If it doesn't work, it's only a bit of seed lost. I'm not buying sets for overwintering since I've been losing them all in the cold winters.
See the thread on Walla Walla onions, theyn overwinter very well both in the Uk and here.
XX Jeannine
I had one of my best years for overwintering onions last year. Mind you I covered them with that fairly thick net stuff.
Hi Keeper is supposed to be a good one, I'm going to try them in modules this year and keep them in a cold frame ready to plant out early next year.
I think Ill give the walla walla a go - just love the name!!
Thanks all!!
Nick
I've just sown half a tray of modules with some Senshyu Yellow, hope to plant them out in biggish pots when the potatoes coem out of them, they'll get transferred into the ground in spring, unless we have a nice-ish autumn in which case they might go in where some beans are at the moment.... Got to try them at home cos allotment ahs white rot....
Same here for white rot - I was going to give the ground the onion tea treatment and then pile on some spent mushroom compost and plant in that.
Do you leave your pots outside or are they under glass or poly??
THey'll be outside unless weather dreadful then they can go into GH if neccessary....don't think there'll be anything on lottie through winter
chrisc