Flo Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi Two questions actually... 1) Am I too late to plant any onion sets? Can you stagger planting so that you have crops over a period of time. 2) Do you get one onion from one set? Just want to know how many to plant of I am still in time... Thanks Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 If you get them in now they should be fine, the ground is good and damp and with the poor weather that we have recently they will soon catch up. You get one onion from each set, but with shallotts you get several from each se, but they generally go in earlier. Protect them from birds initially because they pull them up thinking that they are worms, once they have green shoots they tend to leave them alone. Make a shalllow impression in the soil and gently push the onion into it so that the soil comes up a third to a half was up the set. Good luck, we have grown all our own onions for years and they keep really well strung up in our summer house and we usually just finish the previous years when the new ones are ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 Thanks Liz I have not tried onions before but we eat loads so I thought I would give them a go. There is my job for the weekend! How much space to you have to grow yours if they last you for a year? Or rather how many onions do you eat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 rarely a day goes by without an onion being eaten in this house, and 4 out of 5 of us love them and the 5th one gets them in her food without realising This years are in an area about 15 feet square i haven't counted the sets but there are a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 15 square feet is about the size of my garden! There are only two of us, but I think I can squeeze lots of sets in Thanks for the tips Flo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 We have an allotment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted April 15, 2008 Author Share Posted April 15, 2008 I thought you might! I would love to have one, but with a 3 hour commute everyday there is just not enough hours in the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strepsy Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 If you plant them too close you can always thin them by picking some as salad onions anyway. Onions are one you can really taste the difference with homegrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Make a shalllow impression in the soil and gently push the onion into it so that the soil comes up a third to a half was up the set. . Is it okay to disagree? I have always planted my sets so only the tips are showing through the soil.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I think i will have a go and get some onion sets. Never grown them before. Use lots of onions too. Any recommendations on which type is best to get? Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Make a shalllow impression in the soil and gently push the onion into it so that the soil comes up a third to a half was up the set. . Is it okay to disagree? I have always planted my sets so only the tips are showing through the soil.... I always plant my shallotts like that, if they give a good crop who cares about the technicalities(sp) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I think i will have a go and get some onion sets. Never grown them before. Use lots of onions too. Any recommendations on which type is best to get? Pam We grow Sturon and Stutgartter every year and Red Baron red onions, one is a flattish onion and one is more oval and tall but I can't remember which is which. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Thanks chickencam. It is so difficult when you have not grown before. It is great that you can tell me what is good to grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I grow Sturon and Red Baron - and I cover slightly so that the blackbirds don't pull them all out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I start mine my sets off in individual pots as the chickens have a wander around the veggie garden in the winter and can't be trusted to leave the onions alone I have about 60 or red and white onions with shoots about 2" tall. I dot them around the veggie garden where ever there is space. I also plant some straight into the soil, but they never seem to do as well as the potted ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 We did some in pots a couple of years back when we had a wet cold spring and they didn't really thrive when we planted them out, but we did have a dry summer that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I dot them around the veggie garden where ever there is space. Try to avoid planting near to beans as they have conflicting attitudes to nitrogen ... don't ask me to be specific lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 I am so short of space this year (gave up our allotment when we moved ) that the onions will have to be transplanted to the flower beds when it's time to put the beans and squashes in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbug Posted April 17, 2008 Share Posted April 17, 2008 Going to put some of my veg. mixed in with flowers. Especially carrots. Looking forward to growing some onions though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
