Seed sowing

[Odsox]

How strange, there must be a reason for that somewhere.

My shallots were harvested the first week of July and spent a few weeks sunbathing in the greenhouse. They were then stored in my larder and are still not sprouting, although the ones that I replanted back in December now have 6" shoots on them.
Onions on the other hand have either rotted now or got huge shoots.
Odd.

[Millymollymandy]

Thought it was odd too because I've read they tend to have a longer storage life than onions - have decided to only grow shallots this year and was looking at a plant/seed catalogue that had one variety that said it stored for 2 years . Might see if our garden centre sells them!

The ones I've got (Longor) aren't sprouting out the top - just showing signs of it inside so I'll probably manage to get through that last few bags before they have well and truly had it.

[grahamhobbs]

Sorry Odsox, sometimes the predictive text thinks it can write better than me. I thought the technique would take advantage of your otherwise sprouting onions and give you onions over winter, albeit in white blanched stem form.

[Zech]

I was going to plant my onion seeds this afternoon, but when I dug up some soil to mix with compost to plant them in, the soil was frozen solid. Not easy to mix, and I didn't think the onions would appreciate it either!

Being a newbie, I'm following seed packet instructions, which say at this time of year the seeds should be planted indoors and kept at 15-20 deg C. This is not only warmer than the ground temperature later in the year, when they can be sown outside, but also warmer than my house. I see the same instructions on several other packets of seeds. Do they really need to be this warm? All the time?

[grahamhobbs]

Zech, onion seedlings don't need those temperatures, but perhaps for quick germination and therefore less chance of the seeds rotting in cold, damp soil some warmth is probably beneficial. once germinated I wouldn't keep them in the warmth, they'll go leggy, but protect against extreme cold.

[bonniethomas06]

Owwww! Stop, stop, I am not ready yet!!!

Although this year (first year growing in a p.tunnel) they didn't ripen 'till first week of September, so I think I need to be a bit earlier with them this time.

Have to wait till the end of poverty month January before I can afford to buy the damn things, too!

[Zech]

Thanks Graham, very helpful.

[AngeB]

Chilli seeds are in and spring onion seedlings are popping up

[Peggy Sue]

No one sowing their onions yet? Or does everyone grow them from sets?

Just got the packets out and washed the seed trays.... also considering Aubergines

[okra]

Tomatoes and peppers in the propagator yesterday

[Flo]

About to put some Aqua deluce broad beans that didn't get in back end (could have been snow you know) into seed trays on a window ledge. I'm in no rush as the ground is frozen solid here today. A reminder that spring is some way hence yet.

[phil55494]

Got my onion refer sown in modules a couple of weeks back and today sowed the leek seeds.
We went to the potato day at Ryton gardens yesterday and managed not to be overwhelmed by the number of varieties on offer and got our seed potatoes for this year.

[Peggy Sue]

I've had real fun the last couple of years, found that Oakington garden centre sell seed potatoes loose so you can buy 5 of this and 5 of that, try lots and see what suits you best. Fell in love with Picasso and discovered that althoguh Shetland Blacks ar nice to eat they are s*d to dig up being the same colur as the soil!

[grahamhobbs]

Ayletts near St Albans, also sell potatoes loose (you just fill a bag) and have have an extensive range. This year they are also selling onion sets loose with a number of common varieties, being all one price, some like Red Baron work out at a particularly good value.

Personally I'm never in a rush to get things sown at this time of the year, too easy for them to become leggy, but have sown some early peas and sweet peas for the polytunnel. Will getting going a bit more in February.

[Odsox]

Planted a short row of 9 Charlotte spuds today in the tunnel, hopefully they will be ready at the beginning of May.
Also sowed my Sutton broad beans, about two thirds the number I sowed last year as we had far too many ... we froze 4 kg as well as eating them fresh wholesale and that was from 32 plants.
I hadn't grown them before as I thought they were too small to bother with, but tried them last year as a potentially ideal tunnel veggie and was mightily surprised by the crop.