overwintering onion varieties in g/house

[moola]

Hello there,
I've planted lots of electric reds and shenshu (??) whites about 2 wks ago in pots in a 'cold' greenhouse. They are sprouting like mad, some almost 5inches high - is this too soon? poss brought on by the mild temperatures we've been having?

I vaguely remember reading somewhere about them needing a frost to grow properly but I cannot find this info anywhere again....

Can anyone advise pls? I have some extra staging I can put up outside the g/house if I need to transfer them..... but would need to do this, this w/end before half term hols

Many kind thanks

[SarzWix]

It's garlic that needs a low temperature to split into cloves. If your greenhouse is unheated, then it will still end up below 0c overnight through the winter. I think it'll be ok to keep them in the greenhouse and plant them out in spring if that's what you want to do. On the other hand, if you want to plant them out, they'll be perfectly happy with that too,and you won't need to worry about watering or ventilation.

[moola]

thanks for the quick reply. Great - so no extra job for me tomorrow then I'll wait until Spring then. BRILLIANT !

[Ken the Chef]

I am planning to plant some sets next month in raised beds and covering with an open ended plastic tent.
What do the experts say?
I prepared the site with lots of well rotted horse muck about three weeks ago so the bed should be settling down by now.
Again what do the experts think?

While on the subject of onions, this years crop has suffered with what I can only describe as neck rot. I have laid out the rst of the onion neck down in egg trays hoping that will slow any rot getting into the body of the onion.

[SarzWix]

The only thing I would say is make sure your muck is well dug in, because there is a tenuous link between muck and onion white rot. You definitely don't want that in your beds

[rustylady]

Hello there,
I've planted lots of electric reds and shenshu (??) whites about 2 wks ago in pots in a 'cold' greenhouse. They are sprouting like mad, some almost 5inches high - is this too soon?

These really need to go out onto the lottie or outside beds. They will be much too warm in even an unheated greenhouse over winter.

[Veggie Mackem]

I've experienced a similar issue with the sets that I planted into plots in mid September, at first they appeared lifeless then within the last couple of weeks they've shot up to about 18" so much so that the foliage is straggling on the soil, is this normal, should I be doing anything with leaves to support them.

[Bigmallly]

I'm no expert but I put sets straight into ground in October & cover with a net so they don't get nicked.........

[moola]

well me and my little lad spent this morning in the drizzle setting up the staging outside and transferring the pots. This afternoon, along comes moorhen family and attacks with great gusto sending the whole lot crashing to the ground
so spent MORE time tidying everything up ...soil everywhere...and shoving it all on the picnic table. Hope I get something in the end after all this palava Good job my boy truly loves getting soaked and filthy

[Snadger]

As an experiment I am overwintering some seed sown Senshyu onions in the greenhouse!
I have loads of various japs sets planted outdoors as usual but thought I would try the ones I grew from seed in the greenhouse overwinter.

They are planted, five to a bucket in the old compost the toms were in.

Sometimes on our windy, cold and wet site the outdoor grown plants get bedraggled and damp off.

Belt and braces job really...............if one lot fail at least I've got tuther lot!

[zazen999]

They are planted, five to a bucket in the old compost the toms were in.

I'm doing this, but haven't taken the toms out yet. They seem to be growing. I'm using sets that I grew myself.

[Snadger]

I'm doing this, but haven't taken the toms out yet. They seem to be growing. I'm using sets that I grew myself.

Are you saying you've planted them around the tom stem Zaz???? I've heard of no-dig gardening but this is radically different.

I still have about a dozen tomato plants in my other greenhouse which have loads of large San Marzano green toms on them. I have the chooks in that greenhouse and as soon as one ripens they attack it. It looks like i will have to harvest them green and ripen them off the plant or look for green tomato recipes!
I tipped the compost out of the other tom pots, took out the stem and roots and mixed it all up in a wheelbarrow before replacing. The compost was very compacted before emptying, which could be detrimental to your sets I would imagine?

[moola]

Green tomato chutney is fab and very little trouble to make as you don't have to take the skins off. It is literally a bung it all in job. Make it now, leave well alone and it'll mature nicely for Xmas

btw - the nursery where I brought my overwintering onions were adamant that they would be ok in the g/house. I would have kept them there if they had'nt shooted so madly. It's been so warm, I started to worry about them - some of the shoots are 9inches long! I guess it's not a 'normal' year....