My onions....

[mew]

I put in some onion and garlic sets sometime back in nov. the garlic is doing fine but the onions sets havent faired too good at all only got a few which appear to be sprouting but the rest have died a death it would seem. I have no idea why, maybe its been too wet (it was only my first year at growing last year so im a complete novice to all this - but im hooked and cant wait to get stuck in again this year)

Im going to replace them this weekend coming (I bought some sturton sets). Am I okay placing them in the same place only I really wanted to keep my onion and garlic together or am I best moving them.

Should I add some muck or compost in first too.

Im collecting a loads of horse muck this weekend but Im not sure how well rotten it will be. Hopefully I can get MOH to dig in quick deep to get the older stuff.

Is it okay to add horse muck which hasnt been rotting down for 12 months into the veg beds or am I am best leaving it to one side to rot down really well. Would it hurt either way?

Thanks MEW x

[maggienetball]

Could be many things Mew.
It could have been a bad bunch of sets. Some retailers hold onto them and don't store them right. Then they go all soft and mouldy and don't sprout.
Could be summer sets that haven't enjoyed the weather.
It could be overmanured ground cos they sometimes don't like that - although they also sometimes thrive on it!!
Could be that the birds/squirrels have nicked them and scoffed them over winter
Could be that you planted them too deep.
And I'm sure others on the forum can think of loads of other "could bes"

I wouldn't plant onions again on that part this year as you don't want to chance that they didn't like the ground they were in. Fill the gaps with something else like radish, beetroot or lettuce that will mature before the remaining garlic and onions so you will have a whole bed free to plant after you've harvested.

Pop your onions into a different area and maybe pop a net over them. Those birds are little B***ers you know and will pull them up for fun.

Glad you've got the gardening bug. Don't give up on those onions, you'll get there in the end!

[Thurston Garden]

I usually start my onion sets in one of the cell inserts you get for standard seed trays. I plant them one to a cell (40 cells per tray) and bring them on in the tunnel. They get a head start that way on mice/birds and are planted out then the roots are beginning to fill the sell and there's an inch or two of green on the shoots.

You only plant out the good uns then, cos not all of them sprout away.

Even doing this I usually plant them too early

These are japanse onions grown from seed for overwintering, but the theory is the same!

[Peggy Sue]

I didn't realise I should be worried yet. We out in sets Oct/Nove and some as late as Dec. Some are starting to sprout so I assumed the rest will come on soon. The garlic is miles ahead but that didn't worry me- perhaps it should then

A good thing to plant with your onions if they haven't come through is carrots, the smell keeps the carrot fly away.

Some advice on our onion set bag was to plant in ground which hasn't been recently manured (however the advice was a bit late for us as we'd already done that!)

Don't suppose any of that helps much!

[Millymollymandy]

I planted japanese onions in November - my first time as I've never even heard of the things before! A friend brought some back from England and just said to plant at the same time as the garlic.

The instructions said to plant them somewhat deeper than ordinary onions but they have come through - albeit they are a lot spindlier than the garlic. The ground had been freshly manured as well!

I shan't be growing ordinary onions as well (apart from red ones), so I hope these work!

[Thurston Garden]

3M - Japanese onions are used to overwinter. I plant mine (seeds) when I lift the last of my main crop onions in cells as in the piccy above. They should be planted out in late autumn/early winter. Give them a feed in March when things start to grow again and they will bulb up nicely by the end of May/early June.

OW onions should fill the gap when your main crop onions are either finished, or beginning to sprout themselves and are used fresh before your main crop ones are ready in Aug/Sept/Oct.

I would be tempted to stick in a few sets in march 'cos the OW onions will not keep through the winter and most of the red varieties don't keep well either.

Hope the OW seedlings do well!

[Cheezy]

I have read that you shouldn't put manure on just before you plant onions, as this will encourage green growth at the expence of the bulb growth.

[Millymollymandy]

What does OW stand for? oh hang on...... overwinter!!!

I won't have room in the veg patch for more onions anyway - and my view is if the veg is something that is easy and cheap to buy why waste space when there are so many more exciting things to grow that either I can't buy or are expensive! That's why I grow red ones because they are hard to come by and very very expensive! Ditto new spuds - very expensive but maincrop ones - cheap as chips!

[SarahJane]

I have been away for a while so have lots of reading to catch up with on the board, but I have been out in the garden today planting seeds etc.

I am behind with lots of things , so it looks like I shall be very busy in the next few weeks.

What I wanted to know is whether I am too late to plant garlic? I planted it today, even though I know it should have been planted a while ago, do you think it will do ok?

[ina]

What I wanted to know is whether I am too late to plant garlic? I planted it today, even though I know it should have been planted a while ago, do you think it will do ok?

No idea - depends on the weather we'll have in the next few weeks! But mine is going in this week, too - so you are not the only one who's late!

[SarahJane]

[quote="ina"

No idea - depends on the weather we'll have in the next few weeks! But mine is going in this week, too - so you are not the only one who's late! [/quote]

I am glad its not just me! I braved the winds and I have to say, it was good to get back out in the garden! Fingers crossed were not too late.

[maggienetball]

Nothing ventured.....

I believe that in order for head of garlic to develop into separate cloves it needs a month of frost or at least low temperatures, which is why it is best planted before Xmas in the Uk.

I seem to remember that "single bulb" garlic doesn't store for too long when out of the ground but it shouldn't be a problem if it's just for your own use. I like "wet" garlic and use it all the time at home. It has a really good flavour.

Best advice is to give it a go and enjoy whatever you manage to get. If, after this season, you decide you prefer full head garlic, then, you'll have to try to plant a bit earlier next year!