Jack.....tell me about your onions..

[Bonniegirl]

Please!

I can't get that picture of your lovely onions out of my head, and I'm fed up I didn't get anything of any real use.

I'm used to buying onion sets in the UK but have yet to see them here, how do you start your's off?

Do you start with seeds, do they go straight in the ground?

What kind of soil are you growing them in? Etc etc!

We grew loads of lovely onions in the UK, but had no luck here so far. Having said that we did plant starter plants, as we were a little late getting going, we were waiting for the raised beds to be finished.

Thanks!

[Jack]

Gidday

Now to start with, I don't even know what a set is.

I bought about half a dozen red onion and about 10 pukekohe long keeper punets of seedling. I planted them where I had spuds the year before. I planted about the end of June of begining of July cos we were always told plant onions on the shortest day and they should be ready after the longest day. Unfortunatly, we did not have summer down here till the middle week in February and the second week of March. It just stayed wet and cold and the onions did not really stop growing.

I did nothing to them except hoe the weeds a few times.

Our soil is very heavey but naturally fairly fertile but I don't use fertilizer at all. However I did give them a couple of sprays with aeriated compost tea.

So. Appart from that there is nothing else I can think of to tell you.

[NZAmish]

I also planted Pukekohe Long Keepers last year and got a mighty good crop.
Down here I sow the seed in trays in early April (mid autumn) and let them grow and over-winter.
Then during about early September I plant the seedlings out(if the soil temp is warmer they can be planted out earlier) and just keep hoeing and watering until harvest time.
I also keep the soil mounded up around the bulbs otherwise the stalks can grow really thick and then the bulbs won't dry or keep well.

[Bonniegirl]

"Onion sets are small bulbs less than 1" in diameter. Sets are usually planted in the early spring to produce green (salad) onions or big onions. Nurseries and garden centers begin selling onion sets in the very early spring."

Thanks Jack & NZAmish. Perhaps I didn't have enough soil around the bulbs, mind you they did go in fairly late so that may have been why.

Will make sure I have some ready to plant on the shortest day.

[Jack]

Gidday

Well you won't want to have a summer like we had down here.

I even had to retire cos the vineyard where I worked had not grapes to pick. None, like zylch. cos of the cold summer

[Bonniegirl]

Retire Jack!! Surely not! Ya just a spring chicken ain't yer!!




We did well with our pumpkins, about 62 we reckon!

[Jack]

Gidday

A spring chicken would need to be leaf spring I guess cos chiclens come in spring like the leaves do. But bloody hell that spring sure was a long time ago, and most of my leaves have gone fallen already.

[Bonniegirl]

Only just starting to turn here.

I must admit I do like this time of year, still warm but not hot like the summer, get to do heaps outside. The only drawback I suppose is that it gets dark so much earlier now!

I don't envy you your short summers Jack, are they normally that short or it just because the weathers all been to cock? I think I'll just hang around up here and just look forward to holidaying in the South Island sometime!

[Jack]

Gidday

Well February was the fith consecutive month that was bellow normal temperature and December was our coldest ever on record.

Bugger that global warming, I think those up top are hogging it all to themselves.

[Millymollymandy]

Yup, we've just had an exceptionally mild winter! Sorry Jack!

[NZAmish]

What we need is a hard winter followed by a hot, long summer.
Can't have everything I guess.