Onion shortage

[HeyWayne]

Anyone else see this on the news?

Tears in top British kitchens over onion shortage | UK | Reuters

I used my last home grown onion just the other day, I'm hoping that I'll soon be onion self-sufficient soon anyway.

[shirlthegirl43]

I am hoping that I will have some success this year after failing in my previous attempts to grow onions. I have sown seeds and the resulting shoots are now around an inch high!! Is it silly to be excited by that?

[HeyWayne]

I am hoping that I will have some success this year after failing in my previous attempts to grow onions. I have sown seeds and the resulting shoots are now around an inch high!! Is it silly to be excited by that?

Not at all, I think most, if not all the fellow grapes would share the excitement!

C'mon people, it's time to "share with shirl" (have you thought about having your own agony aunt column on here?)

[shirlthegirl43]

Not at all, I think most, if not all the fellow grapes would share the excitement!

C'mon people, it's time to "share with shirl" (have you thought about having your own agony aunt column on here?)

LOL, thanks Wayne, like I need to spend more time online?!?!?!?!

[Winged one]

Shirl that's great -I havven't dared try onions from seed yet.

I presume that we'll see the same shortage here soon. Luckily I still have a lot in storage, but there are signs of softening in them (I did hardly any cooking all autumn cause of the builders but expect to use them up by the time my autumn sown are ready) so I hope they last for another while. It's been so nice to eat my own onions and not be hunting for nice ones in the shops.....

[sewer rat]

I planted 25kg of sets last year, and finished my onions about November - and they were brilliant - lost a few in storgae but not too many. This year I'll be planting 50 kg of sets - incl 25kg of red onions, as well as 25kg shallots, so hopefully that'll help me be self sufficient for my boxes. I'm having to buy in approx 35kg of organic onions a week at the mo - and they come from Holland - there are none available in the UK !!

[Flummery]

I haven't got enough room (garden veg plot) to be self sufficient in onions. I have a slack handful of my own shallots left but I'm buying onions again.

[HeyWayne]

I planted 25kg of sets last year, and finished my onions about November - and they were brilliant - lost a few in storgae but not too many. This year I'll be planting 50 kg of sets - incl 25kg of red onions, as well as 25kg shallots, so hopefully that'll help me be self sufficient for my boxes. I'm having to buy in approx 35kg of organic onions a week at the mo - and they come from Holland - there are none available in the UK !!

There was a dude that runs the Riverford (?) box scheme and he was saying the same thing, his were having to be shipped in from Holland, but he said they were also running out and they were looking at India and the Far East next.

[lainey lou]

Thats great Shirl, blooming right you should be excited, wouldn't be right if you weren't!
I have onions over wintering at the lottie, not sure how they'll cope with all this soggy weather thou, hope to be self suff with onions soon too.

[SarzWix]

Ours ran out in November, but as it was our first year with the lottie we didn't get as many in as I'd have liked. Going to have 2 beds for onions this year so hopefully we'll have 'em last a bit longer!
Shirl, I'm a little jealous of your inch high shoots - only 6 out of the 40 I've sown have germinated so far! Fingers crossed for more...

[moggssue]

Tried onions from seed for the first time last year - total failure within the first month or so Will be trying sets this year so fingers crossed. I luurrrvvvvvve onions, they go in just about everything I cook, so cant handle the thought of a shortage.

And waayyyyy heyyyyy to you Shirl!!!!!

[JanieB]

I brought a bagful back from Spain earlier this month, maybe I should have brought more. I don't eat that many as it's just me to feed, although I love them.

Got some seed but haven't germinated yet.

[Hazel at the Hill]

I was advised not to bother with onions wot with them being cheap in the shops, and take up quite a bit of room.

Ignored that - obviously - and planted 100 sets last year....they didn't exactly thrive (we had onion eelworm, I think - everyone at the Hill was affected EXCEPT david-other-half who had planted over wintering onions. They were MASSIVE and I was very jealous) but I do have just a few left now, but not many.

SO I planted japanese onions in autumn which look superb - about 3 or 4" high - and I'll be doing some from seed too. Sowed some at New Year, but nothing has come of them (old seed!) so I've now sown red onion seed and hope they will germinate soon.

I hope that this year I'll have more success.

And Shirl - HEY! - doin' a dance for your onion seedlings right now!

[shirlthegirl43]

Shirl that's great -I havven't dared try onions from seed yet.

Thats great Shirl, blooming right you should be excited, wouldn't be right if you weren't!

Shirl, I'm a little jealous of your inch high shoots - only 6 out of the 40 I've sown have germinated so far! Fingers crossed for more...

And waayyyyy heyyyyy to you Shirl!!!!!

And Shirl - HEY! - doin' a dance for your onion seedlings right now!

Thanks folks. They have shot up today as the sun shone for the first time this year!!! The biggest ones have straightened up and are now nearly 2 inches high. I suspect they will fail so will sow more in a week or so. However, the packet said sow January so I did. I also have shallot and onion sets in reserve to plant in spring (or if the ground ever dries out a bit)