Onions from seed.

[burnie]

Onion(and leek)update
Seeds sown in late December

[burnie]

Still growing...………………..

[burnie]

Lifted the first one as we needed one in the kitchen, quarter of an ounce under a pound in weight, only a tiddler, the others are still growing.

[mcdood]

The Globos I sowed from seed are very large now, still standing and looking very nice. My Stuttgarter from sets were Ok but smaller and a fair few went to seed. I think I'll try and grow more onions/shallots from seed next year rather than sets and see how it goes.

[burnie]

My sets were a failure, I may grow just seed next year.

[burnie]

Lifted 5 Onions showing signs they were done.

Tasty and quite fiery for big onions.

[mcdood]

1st of the Globo fell over yesterday, decent size, now drying off.

[burnie]

One of the better ones, though all are close to this size, very tasty too.

[burnie]

Getting to that time of year when the sowing of seeds begin, I know those who show their veg may have already started. I have a modest sized electric propagator and that will be getting dusted down and compost will be going into modules in the next week and warming up ready for sowing. I usually do this on Boxing Day, no real reason, just a tradition, I shall be growing the same Mammoth Reds I grew last year along with the same Pot Leeks as both were very successful last summer. Anyone else doing anything similar?

[mcdood]

Hi Burnie,

Yes I'm planning on growing all my onions from seed this year. Had a fair bit of bolting with sets last year while the ones from seed (Globo) were fine - more likely due to a bad watering regime but I'm blaming the sets
I'll start with a few Globo and Bedfordshire Champion early Jan and then I also have some Alisa Craig and Red Brunswick which I'll probably start in Feb. I'm also going to try some Zebreune shallots from seed this year too.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Nice to see Potty's thread surface just before Christmas. It's the time when we tend to think about absent friends.

I haven't yet started mine off and I will be hoping to get some for the show bench but certainly I'll be starting mine very shortly.

Last year I tried using root riots and I have to say the germination was brilliant. However, watering was a problem and it was difficult to keep them moist so this time around it will be back to sowing in trays and then pricking out when they get to the crook stage.

I had quite a few bolted onions from seed last year. Some of that could have been as a result of the watering issue mentioned above but it was a really difficult season and many of my friends who exhibit had many more bolted than me and they didn't use root riots.

Good luck both of you.

[MarkHackwell]

I will be doing mine tomorrow (Boxing Day), except I don’t have any Mammoth Onion seeds. I will hopefully be getting them tomorrow but I’m travelling up to my partner’s so to keep the tradition of sowing on Boxing Day I will probably have to sow them in the car (in a tray ofcourse!). I have also got some Mammoth Red Onion, Alisa Craig and Exhibition Seeds as well and I will do my leeks as well tomorrow What do others start them in?

[MarkHackwell]

Sowed Onions and Leeks

Onion ‘Mammoth Red’, ‘Ailsa Craig’ and ‘Showmaster’ sown this morning along with Leek ‘Musselsburgh’ Seeds :3 Got to get some more Onion ‘Mammoth’ Seeds and Shallot seeds before I sow them later today The 2020 growing season has started!!!

[burnie]

Been away for Xmas, so running late here, probably get the seeds started soon, I grew the Mammoth Reds last year, very tasty and none bolted.

[Jungle Jane]

I will be doing mine tomorrow (Boxing Day), except I don’t have any Mammoth Onion seeds. I will hopefully be getting them tomorrow but I’m travelling up to my partner’s so to keep the tradition of sowing on Boxing Day I will probably have to sow them in the car (in a tray ofcourse!). I have also got some Mammoth Red Onion, Alisa Craig and Exhibition Seeds as well and I will do my leeks as well tomorrow What do others start them in?

To start off leeks I use a deep pot or container for the roots to have a good depth,helps get thicker pencil sized leeks for planting out. I used to buy some little donuts in a deep plastic container burn holes through with hot scissors,the last couple of years I’ve used those deep yoghurt pots I’ll keep using them till the end of their life.