Lesley Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Here are the garlic and onions we have grown this year - should last a year! The onions were grown in a raised bed 4' x 10' and the garlic overwintered in a small bed 2.5' x 2' I cleaned them all off yesterday - it took nearly 4 hours. They are ready to string now. I also have a carrier bagful of ones to use first, ones with a thicker neck which haven't dried out. I still have two large bunches of garlic to clean and string as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Gosh, they will last you a while karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 They look fantastic. I've just bought some onion sets to put in over the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 9, 2007 Author Share Posted October 9, 2007 I plant garlic in the Autumn but I find onions store better if planted in Spring. The Autumn ones will be ready earlier and useful through the summer though. Have you got garlic to plant Martin? - there are still some bulbs around in the garden centres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 No, I haven't. I've been meaning to get it for ages. Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 With the garlic do I just 'bung' it in the garden like you do with the normal onions? Say I planted it next week, when would I need to harvest it? Thanks, Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Very impressive Lesley! I planted my garlic out 2 days ago. I only plant onions in the spring as i find they keep better. Only have about 30 or so, but they are drying nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Cor Lesley....they look fab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Wow, they look great I got my garlic in over the weekend too - so am looking forward to having my own supply next year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 10, 2007 Author Share Posted October 10, 2007 I shall put mine in this weekend. Martin - just separate the cloves and push them into the soil, about 5"/12cm apart each way. They will start to grow and then stay pretty dormant through the winter. They get a good start then in the Spring but you won't harvest until July/Aug time so make sure they're in a patch of the plot you don't need to use for a while. It is only a small area though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 I was told to make troughs & hills, planting the garlic in the hills, as its supposed to be a wet winter & this will help keep them dry & prevent rotting So, thats what I have done. Not sure if its right, but it looks nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 10, 2007 Author Share Posted October 10, 2007 Yes, that's a good idea. Ours are in a raised bed so I don't worry about wet too much - I just have to be careful in a drought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Do you reckon that idea would work with onions too Sarah? I think from that advice that I shall plant half of my onions at the weekend and the other half in spring! BTW Lesley your garlic and onions look really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 I have now strung all the onions...... I forgot I was supposed to be cleaning off the garlic........ and I forgot to plant the next lot of garlic...... I just need to find somewhere to hang all the onions now - I want to keep them on view but they need to go into one of the outbuildings really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Wow! They look amazing Lesley. How do you string 'em so I'll know for next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 They look wonderful it will be a shame to put them out of sight karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 We usually keep a few strings in the kitchen, and they seem to keep ok. We have a tall cupboard by the back door so we pot some nails into the top of the cornice on the cupboard sticking upright, then we tied a washer to the top of the string and put the washer over the nail. They look quite good. The rest of the onions are attatched to nails aroung the walls of the summerhouse. They always keep until the next ones come round unless we eat them first but we do grow an awful lot because there is hardly a meal cooked here that doesn't contain at least one onion. Your onions look great I don't have the patience to clean mine quite so well and usually do them as I bring them into the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 I like cleaning them off I sit in a garden chair and watch the sunset usually Egluntine - it's something that is easier to show someone than to describe....... I'll see if I can find anything to help explain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 HERE is a diagram showing how to string onions. I start off like that and secure one big onion at the bottom but then I add three more onions at the same time by using the double string as one string, place the neck of the onion at the front, wind the onion behind the double string and cross it back over the neck. The weight of the onion will hold the onion in place. When you have the first onion and the next three then you only need two hands instead of three These 4 onions are stable and you then just add onions in the same way, making sure it doesn't get too heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Thanks for that. I have saved it for when I get enought to string up prettily like yours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 Luckily, I'd been shown at the farm shop how to do them a few years ago. I tried to do it following those instructions and had onions flying all over the place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Thanks Lesley. will refer back to that next year, hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 Lesley they look fab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 ...and they're still there - can't decide where to hang them..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 You mean Jazz hasnt eaten them or attacked them yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...