For me, this has been a really bad year for onions.
I grew over wintering japanese onions, spring planted onions sets, red onion sets and seed sown Ailsa Craig.
The red onions seemed to be OK and we are still consuming them as I write. The over wintering onions, about half were thrown away due to rot after harvesting. In spite of me drying them out well, they rotted at the neck and were useless.
The spring planted sets nearly all developed disease and were dumped, and the Ailsa Craig for the first time in my life were not much bigger than spring onions.
So, all in all a terrible year for the onion family in my allotment.
Still, that's the attraction of the hobby isn't it. Next year beckons, the seed catalogues are delivered, and it's time for making decisions on what and how many to plant. I've just put in three rows of over wintering onions, so fingers crossed they'll be an improvement on the year just gone.
Peter
You are not the only one who has had a bad year. I have planted Rijgnsburger (sorry about spelling) onions I grew from seed and they turned out like small cooking onions/pickling onions. I have grown bigger shallots. My Ailsa Craig onions that I always do well with where also ALOT smaller than they normally are. The best onions where my brothers onions that he grew on his plot from sets. I always do well most years with my onions as we eat loads of them but this year is the worst year ever for onions on my plot. Better luck next year! I am planning to grow some giant onions so that should make up for the failure this year.
I got a really good crop, which is frustrating as I didn't plant that many.
Mine were very large this year, and I was very happy with them. I've had rubbish years before - as you say Peter, it's just that sort of hobby. The hope that keeps you going :)
I did have the beginnings of white rot on some of them though, so unless I'm careful that might be my last good year!
I manage to keep ahead of the white rot by rotating. I usually lose a few bulbs, though the infection was so slight this year I didn't have to sacrifice any. Other people find it overwhelming, but I don't know what causes the difference.
Like Robert I had an excellent crop but didn't plant a lot. No white rot either. Next year I will sow loads and have a disastrous year :D
Duke
First year of growing onions at the allotment.Had a good crop of overwintering onions and massive Rumba onions.Unfortunately I also discovered white rot where I planted them.
This year i am planting Senshyu Yellow and Electric Red mainly for something to overwinter.
In the wet three summers I lost loads to white rot. This year ok but still rotting in storage- not white rot. I guess they are rotting from the neck as Pete describes, but they were lovely and dry when picked and hardley had any rain at all. Nor did I water them.
dussapointed as thought I had cracked it this year :(
Mine have also rotted in storage. But the overwintering onions are in again. Well you can't give up trying can you.
Just back from weeding my overwintering onions for the first time and found lots of self-seeded kale in amongst them. So a bonus!! 'll transplant them to next year's brassica beds next week.
The onions are already between 2 and 3 inches and looking happy and healthy apart from a very small number of "no shows".
This year's were really disappointing and I doubt they will last me through the winter.
Onion eelworm struck for me this year - I had to ditch everything :'( - onions, shallots, garlic, all had distorted leaves, can't grow any alliums now for 3 - 4 years. Others on the site had similar problems, although some managed to salvage a few of their plants. Somehow my leeks managed to avoid it though ??? I'm going to try to find space at home for some garlic next year though - even if it's having to grow them in tubs.
I have grown Sturon and Stutgartten for 25 years and never had a failure, I have stored them from harvesting in September to May and even June the following year, sometimes the old timers are really the best and I will continue to grow them as long as the producers supply them.
I've put overwintering sets into a raised bed which I hope will help control rot. I'm going to try summer onions from seed which is a new challenge.
I intend to start them indoors in the new year and plant out later. I'm beginning to wonder if some sets come in with bugs on them and if seed will be 'cleaner'. I quite like small hard onions I think they keep better so keep my fingers crossedxxx ;D
QuoteOnion eelworm struck for me this year - I had to ditch everything
That's awful!
QuoteI'm going to try summer onions from seed which is a new challenge.
I think they're great, almost as easy as sets. You still have to look after sets, or they stay tiny, don;t you find? Germination is good in onions, and they're sturdy little things. If you feed and weed they seem to do well. Except spring onions which for some reason are b****rs!
Only problem with onion seedlings is my snails eat them, so I have to keep moving where I keep the modules. Once they discover the location, they graze over them until they're stumps. :'(
Quote from: queenbee on November 06, 2011, 23:26:34
I have grown Sturon and Stutgartten for 25 years and never had a failure, I have stored them from harvesting in September to May and even June the following year, sometimes the old timers are really the best and I will continue to grow them as long as the producers supply them.
They're my favourites too :) and always seem to perform well. I did Setton too this year, so in my book onions beginning with an 'S' like my clay soil ;D
Ninnyscrops