Onions
- Flo
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Re: Onions
There's discussion over on one of the gardening forums about the onion sets going to seed this year. In the UK they are supposed to be heat treated but people are wondering if this always happens of late. Also heat and dry weather seems to affect whether or not seed heads form.
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Re: Onions
Thanks Flo,will take a look.
Re: Onions
I assume that they haven't started to form a bulb yet so can't really help, but I have had some bolt when they have formed a sizeable bulb and they can be used. But you have to not leave them too long as the centre of the bulb goes hard and inedible.happyhippy wrote: ↑Sat Jun 02, 2018 5:42 am Onions!I plant sets,and each year alot of them form seed heads way before the onions are big enough.I read that to combat this,you can cut that stem off,which will force the bulb to still grow,I've done this now,and hope it works.Any idea's why my onions keep going this way?
Keep us posted on how those (potential) flowering ones turn out.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
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Re: Onions
I planted the sets I think back in March.yes they're already forming bulbs Odsox,so I've cut out the stem that has the flower on it.(Flowers havent come out yet,but I could see the end of the stem was swollen,and I've had this issue many times.
Re: Onions
Onions go to seed because it's too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry, a day with a 'y' in it, excess solar radiation, ill-fated horoscopes, the Russians, aliens, elves, bad vibes, soil too sandy, soil too clay-y, and the coming apocalypse. Avoid all of those and you'll have no problem.
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
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Re: Onions
Or they just want to show how pretty they can look...
I sometimes leave some to flower, for the visual effect!
I sometimes leave some to flower, for the visual effect!
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
- Flo
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Re: Onions
Save the seeds after they flower.
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Re: Onions
Good idea - will try that next time.
Ina
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
I'm a size 10, really; I wear a 20 for comfort. (Gina Yashere)
- Weedo
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Re: Onions
Thanks MKG - I can give mine all of those conditions in one day this year!
On a more positive side, the onions I planted from seed have now caught up to the same varieties planted from sets 2 weeks before; doesn't look like the successive planting thing is going to work unless I increase the time gap. Garlic in this week (hopefully) on the old rule of "plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"
In the past I have stored garlic (peeled cloves) in Olive Oil; My climate is too warm for bulb storing. Has anyone tried crushing and freezing?
On a more positive side, the onions I planted from seed have now caught up to the same varieties planted from sets 2 weeks before; doesn't look like the successive planting thing is going to work unless I increase the time gap. Garlic in this week (hopefully) on the old rule of "plant on the shortest day, harvest on the longest"
In the past I have stored garlic (peeled cloves) in Olive Oil; My climate is too warm for bulb storing. Has anyone tried crushing and freezing?
Don't let your vision cloud your sight
- Green Aura
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Re: Onions
...and miss out on all that garlicy olive oil?
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: Onions
Yes, we used to do that but for some reason stopped doing it, I have no idea why as I can't keep mine for those last 2 or 3 months until the new season's.
I may well freeze a few bulbs again now that you have put the idea back in my head.
We froze intact cloves which have a sort of waxy texture frozen and are dead easy to slice straight out of the freezer.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
- Weedo
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Re: Onions
Good idea Tony, I hadn't thought of freezing intact cloves; I presume peeled? The idea of crushing before freezing was so that I could just throw the frozen stuff straight in the pot. My thought was using Ice cube trays.
No GA. the oil preserved ones will still happen.
No GA. the oil preserved ones will still happen.
Don't let your vision cloud your sight
Re: Onions
Yes sorry, open frozen peeled whole cloves.
You can also grate frozen cloves as well as slicing.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
- diggernotdreamer
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Re: Onions
I have been a bit busy the last six weeks or so being a suffragette sort of. I am trying to catch up, which given the weather went from flipping freezing and nothing happening to scorchio in a matter of a few weeks, things are a bit confused. Been too hot to even get into the tunnel and plant stuff out, even in the evenings when the second day starts at 5pm when the sun came out hotter than ever. Hopefully, I will get back in charge of things.
- RenewableCandy
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Re: Onions
We're growing stuff here at Chateau Renewable, but this year's been an odd-un.
What with the drought (my back aches!) the fact I've still not got the gravel down (see 'RenewableCandy's Hardcore Challenge' thread...) so there's nowhere for salad pots... I'm NOT asking our nice nighbour to do the whacking-down in this heat, it's indecent.
Stuff we're growing: all our perennials (Rhubarb, Globe Artis, redcurrants - we've had a bumper harvest in the garden but zilch on the Plot), various herbs, asparagus. Other stuff: onions, peas, runner-beans, spuds.
The onions & peas are really suffering in this dry, but beans and spuds seem to be doing well.
The twice I've tried sowing sunflower seeds this year (2nd time with netting over) the ruddy birds have scoffed the lot.
The fruit trees, though, are looking gorgeous. Marvellous Other 1/2 got all the cherries down *before* they ripened & put them in a giant bowl on the windowsill, so we (and not the blackbirds) got to eat them
Next day the tree was full of screeching birds having a good old whinge... it all got a bit Alfred Hitchcock but they've given up and bogged-off now.
What with the drought (my back aches!) the fact I've still not got the gravel down (see 'RenewableCandy's Hardcore Challenge' thread...) so there's nowhere for salad pots... I'm NOT asking our nice nighbour to do the whacking-down in this heat, it's indecent.
Stuff we're growing: all our perennials (Rhubarb, Globe Artis, redcurrants - we've had a bumper harvest in the garden but zilch on the Plot), various herbs, asparagus. Other stuff: onions, peas, runner-beans, spuds.
The onions & peas are really suffering in this dry, but beans and spuds seem to be doing well.
The twice I've tried sowing sunflower seeds this year (2nd time with netting over) the ruddy birds have scoffed the lot.
The fruit trees, though, are looking gorgeous. Marvellous Other 1/2 got all the cherries down *before* they ripened & put them in a giant bowl on the windowsill, so we (and not the blackbirds) got to eat them
Next day the tree was full of screeching birds having a good old whinge... it all got a bit Alfred Hitchcock but they've given up and bogged-off now.