My onions need repairing!!!

[jabby]

Dear All

I planted some winter onions which until 3 days were fantastic growing extremely well I was well chuffed with myself. Enter the weather, howling gale, result sideways growing onions.

Can I dig them up and replant them straight, should I add a small stake to each one. Help as I do not have a clue what to do.

Many thanks
Jabby

[bramble]

No, don't dig them up unless you have just planted them out. I assume if they are winter onions they have been planted quite a while so if i were you i would leave them alone. I don't think its a good idea to stake them up either. So long as the root is still in the ground they should be all right. Let me know when you planted them and what size they are.

[Geordie]

Jabby,

Some of my winter onions have suffered the same fate. It causes them no real problem as long as the bulb is still in the ground. If the stem is flat against the soil put some straw or similar underneath to protect it.
This time last year half of my onions had gone to seed by now.....this year i reckon they are about 3 weeks behind in terms of size.

[poultrychat]

Some of mine have done the same jabby although some are ready for picking even though they are only little but if the rest don't hurry up the summer ones will be ready about the same time! And in the meantime I have nowhere to plant my cabbages!!!

[Shortie]

Jabby, last summer my summer onions were trodden on my by son (2 and the time) and flattened nearly every day by one of my cats who would roll on his back over them (obviously liked to smell of onions ). Next day everytime they would pretty much correct themselves ready to suffer the same fate.

As long as the bulb is still in the ground, I would say don't worry. Onions always seem to be pretty tough soldiers!

[vicki]

whilst we're on the subject of onions....
This is my first year trying to grow onions - I planted some in April, and the stems are great and look healthy but when my son (3) pulled one out today , the bulb was just the same size as when I planted them, just with lots of roots on - shouldn't it have grown a bit by now? or does that come later?

[dwrudd]

Don't worry, they will certainly grow in size as time goes on.

This year I am trying a spanish trick with mine. An old spanish farmer told me that once the bulb has formed, cut off the top half of the leaves and this forces the plants energy into its bulb. Which swells it even more and adds great flavour. I don't know if anyone else has tried or heard of this, but the spanish do seem to know their onions.

An off shoot of this is that they would be more stable in higher winds and suffer less damage.

I'll let you know

Darren

[sewer rat]

Cheers for that one Darren - I think I'll try that with one of my rows and leave the others alone as a control group. It certainly sounds logical enough.

[jabby]

I planted them last autumn early winter, they are abour 2-3cm across.
thanks
Jabby

[Jaxom]

Darren, That sounds like logic to me. Haven't read about this though? I have seen people bending the green leaves over to help finish off the onions. Will have to try a few like Rat said.