Spring Sowing Onion Sets

[veg4681]

I know you're meant to sow them in the Mar but my Wilko bought ones has 20 odd sets that are teeny-weeny (like half the thickness of my small finger) out of 70 odd sets. BTW they're Red Karmen, anyone grown that variety before?

I don't need to grow that many onions, besides already have 50 onions from autumn sown so my question is, would it okay to plant the little ones in the pot for harvesting like spring onions. I can leave them in the unheated greenhouse (just in case they're heat treated, whatever that means ) where it is warmer. Because they're so small, surely they won't make decent size onions anyway or do they? Thanks.

[momol]

Veg,

If you really have lots of onions and don't mind having some grown as spring onion, go a head, it should be fine. The heat treated is meant for preventing bolting. Regarding the final onion size, it is really depending on the program gene ... Did it said onions or shallot ? I planted 10 mini too but the black birds has dig them up during the hard frost days now they are gone (rot)...

Momol

[Cutecumber]

Pigletwillie has grown them - there was a thread in which this variety was mentioned.

[veg4681]

Pigletwillie has grown them - there was a thread in which this variety was mentioned.

Thanks CC, looks like I have a winner by the sound of it, see Piglet's comments from last thread.

However so far this year my "Red Karmen" grown from sets have only had 2 bolt out of 100 so I may have found a good variety.


Piglet also reported Red Baron's been lousy performer before so maybe one to avoid? So most likely my Red Karmen must be heat treated.

[Matt.]

I'm going to sow mine now in cells and leave inside an unheated greenhouse.

I bought some sets of stouron and red baron but upon closer inspection they are a bit mouldy. I'm just going to plant out and see if they survive. They'll only rot if I keep leaving it.

I'm trying moon gardening this year and this weekend is ideal for root crops apparently. Quite handy that!

[rustylady]

Daughter came over two days ago, had been to Wilko and brought lots of goodies, including onion sets. Red Karmen, Turbo and Centurion (I already had Sturon). I've put mine in cell trays - well not all of them - to start shooting, I found this really successful last year. I've never grown any of these varieties before, so I will be running a sort of trial I suppose. Matt, I picked off the mouldy looking bits and dry bits - the mould was only on the top layer of skin and this was loose anyway. I don't know what variety the Autumn sown (or planted) ones were Veg4681, but if they are the Japanese overwintering ones, apparently they don't store well (as I found out last year). Your new sets may look tiny, but believe me given good growing conditions they will produce good sized onions by the end of the season. Any bulbing onion can be pulled young and used as spring onions - it's a good way to use the thinnings if you've planted too closely.

[veg4681]

Daughter came over two days ago, had been to Wilko and brought lots of goodies, including onion sets. Red Karmen, Turbo and Centurion (I already had Sturon). I've put mine in cell trays - well not all of them - to start shooting, I found this really successful last year.

I don't know what variety the Autumn sown (or planted) ones were Veg4681, but if they are the Japanese overwintering ones, apparently they don't store well (as I found out last year). Your new sets may look tiny, but believe me given good growing conditions they will produce good sized onions by the end of the season. Any bulbing onion can be pulled young and used as spring onions - it's a good way to use the thinnings if you've planted too closely.

I think I'd like to start off some of mine in modules too for experimentation as this seem to be the norm. Thanks for mentioning this BTW.

I'm okay for Autumn sown, they're red ones called Electric (premium price I paid from GC). Still very much appreciate for letting us know that the Japanese overwintering don't keep well. I don't wish to grow the standard brown/yellow ones as they're cheap enough from supermarket.

I thought a small onion set would produce a smaller onion as the way the logic goes with garlic cloves and seed potatoes ? So for onions, size does not matter then.

[pigletwillie]

Thanks CC, looks like I have a winner by the sound of it, see Piglet's comments from last thread.

However so far this year my "Red Karmen" grown from sets have only had 2 bolt out of 100 so I may have found a good variety.


Piglet also reported Red Baron's been lousy performer before so maybe one to avoid? So most likely my Red Karmen must be heat treated.

The red Karmen were great last year, well as great as any alliums were in the deluge and appear to be keeping well to. I have always had poor results with red baron, either small onions or lots of bolting so am still looking for a decent red onion, Karmen is in the frame as is red pearl.

As for the small onions as springers, I always use them for that, althought this year managed to hand pick my sets as a local place sells them loose.

[veg4681]

Thanks for all your info. I've planted 20 odd of teeny-weeny onion sets in that big plastic box you get from buying Sainsbury's basic mushroom. They're planted close together to be used as Springers and left in the greenhouse (unheated).

[Albut]

I have bought the Red Karmen from Wilkos. Planted them alongside two rows of Stuttgarter Giants. Most of the Karmen have produced long stems with bulbous ends that I can only assume are flower heads. Is this normal for this variety of have they bolted and had it for some reason. The Giants are all OK.

[rustylady]

I have bought the Red Karmen from Wilkos. Planted them alongside two rows of Stuttgarter Giants. Most of the Karmen have produced long stems with bulbous ends that I can only assume are flower heads. Is this normal for this variety of have they bolted and had it for some reason. The Giants are all OK.

When did you plant your Red Karmen? The stems with bulbs at the top are flower heads - pick them off as soon as you see them. The onions will still be useable but won't store well.

[Nelly]

Relieved to hear that I'm not the only one with bolting onions - for some reason I thought onion sets were fairly foolproof and not much could go wrong. I'm learning... All bar one of my red baron sets have bolted. The Hercules are still okay apart from snail damage (I discovered a whole motorway of snails making their way up the stalk of a clematis from the "cellar" beneath my patio one night when I came home late from an orchestra rehearsal, directly into the onion bed). Glad to hear the bolted-but-flower-heads-removed onions will still be edible though - I don't have any problems getting through a lot of onions. Will I have time to plant spring onions in the bed once all the big onions are harvested?

[Albut]

Planted them out 11th April same time as the Giants. The Giants are doing well but many of the red karmen have flower stems. Cant lift them because they are still too small as they have not yet really started to swell. It must be that these sets from Wilkos are not good ones. Do I still cut off the flower stems and wait for the onions to develop. Any ideas.

Regards

Albut

[gojiberry]

Always remove flower stalks from onions as soon as you see them. A lot of energy goes into producing flower heads and you want that energy to go into the bulb making. The quality of Wilko sets is probably no different to anyone elses, it is the growing conditions that causes the onion to bolt and in particular temperatures. Red onions are notorious for bolting and you need to delay planting till spring time. You can get heat treated which are a bit more expensive but not supposed to bolt.

Ian

[Albut]

Thanks for the advice and help. Going out into the garden now to chop off those flower heads.

Regards

AB