Chicken pecking

[ubereglu]

Hiya,

 

I have bought an onion set and I'm hoping to plant it at the weekend. However I have a few queries.

 

Would it be alright to plant it in our clay-ey soil?

Does it mind a sunny and shady spot?

How do I store them?

 

Hope you can help me!

 

Liz

[Cinnamon]

Liz, all I can say is make sure you cover them over with some chicken wire or something - the birds pinched all of mine

[ubereglu]

Ah, ok. We have a lot of chicken wire!!!

[Christian]

I think onions like quite dry soil, mine did well in it this year. Water in well then leave it. As Cinnamon said, protect from birds and really firm in well when you plant the sets.

 

As you have clay soil, could you dig a trench and add some sand or grit to add drainage?? Fill with soil, then plant on top. I would advise this for any plants in clay.

 

Hope they are ok Liz

 

C x x

[moochoo]

I've planted my onion sets today, I've planted some in clay soil and some in compost filled boxes. It'll be interesting to see if one lot do better than the others. I've also planted some old garlic cloves that were producing shoots in my fridge

It's my first time growing both so we'll have compare notes later on.

[AJuff]

New to onions but the bag said not to plant them until risk of frost has passed?????????????????????????????

[moochoo]

As far as I know the onion family grows better after experiencing a frost. I don't know how true that is. I was adviced to plant mine in October.

[Tara.F]

clay soil will be fine, they're pretty tough

Draw some earth up to make a small ridge and plant into the top of that to aid drainge.

Make a small hole (about 1 inch deep) for each onion set. put them in and cover. Don't just push them into the ground because that could damage the root nodules.

Water in and either protect from birds or check daily and replant those that have been pulled out. The birds think they are worms and yank then leave them.

Once they develop a good root system they won't be able to pull them up.

I've never lost any to frost despite some quite hard winters

[Valkyrie]

I also have clay soil. Just add plenty of compost and work it in before planting. I start all my sets off in cells in the greenhouse. The last time I popped them into the soil directly, a mouse kept collecting them and leaving them in a corner of the raised bed that they had been planted in! Some it ate and some I found further down the path! So now I wait until I have a healthy root system and some green shoots then plant them outside. I already have some (Stuttgarter Giant) in the ground but I have covered them with fleece. I have Jet Set and Sturon in the greenhouse. Yes it is more work, but I seem to get better results that way. Also I give them a sprinkling of chicken manure pellets after planting. Soon I won't need the pellets because I will have my own chickies!