Winter onions

[zazen999]

It'll grow!

[Stacey Steve]

Plenty of time to put in onion sets & garlic for that matter.

Anytime during October and early November should be OK.

I have only had problems with slugs just before they are ready for harvesting and even then, they only seem to attack the larger leaves. You can see holes and they have eaten through and are feeding inside the leaf.

Biggest problem is when you have first planted them, the birds come and investigate the soft soil for insects and turf the damn things out.

I plant them and put my netting cloches over them but then again that's partly to stop my dog from trampling all over them.

[vegnut]

Mine are going in tomorrow, as well as the garlic. And if i dont get them all in, then the rest are going in next Sunday. Theres no great rush at this time of year it seems, although earlier is better than later. Just so the roots can get all cosy in the ground for the winter months ahead.

[FionaH]

My garlic is in troughs. and keeps getting turfed out by the cat. Shes not using them as a toilet, just playing with them!

[selfheal]

hey, im looking for a bit of advice!

im a complete newbie to onion sets, but more importantly to autumn sown onion sets.

the impression i was given was that the just sit in the ground dormant until early spring and then they are raring to go. From what ive read today im wrong! thing is, my onions are in the ground in birmingham and im in dorset! Because i thought they werent going to do anything till spring ive govered all my beds with terram, the weed surpressing fabric, including my 2 onion beds!

can someone please explain how autumn sown onion sets work, what the percieved advantage is etc, and how best to remedy my situation. Do i need to get on the phone to my day and get him to lift the covers off the 2 beds? im also concerned they are a little too deeply planted as i did what the instructions (very vague) said and put them 3cm down, but the tops cant be seen, unlike ive seen suggested you should elsewhere. do i need to dig the back up and replant them higher?

i dont really have much to cover the two beds with in terms of protection from slugs and birds at the moment... im wondering if i should get some fleece to cover the 2 beds with instead of the terram. I should be heading back to birmingham soon, so i might be able to sort it all out, but its difficult as my dad doesnt really get involved with them much so wont be out there protecting them from slugs and birds much.

argh i messed it up! lol. i used plugs from the garden center this summer as i was delayed in getting my raised beds built- they worked brilliantly, but i want to grow them the start myself, as for a start its cheaper! but it also felt like cheating lol!

[Two_Sheds]

the impression i was given was that the just sit in the ground dormant until early spring and then they are raring to go. ...Because i thought they werent going to do anything till spring ive govered all my beds with terram, the weed surpressing fabric, including my 2 onion beds!

....Do i need to get on the phone to my day and get him to lift the covers off the 2 beds? im also concerned they are a little too deeply planted as i did what the instructions (very vague) said and put them 3cm down, but the tops cant be seen, unlike ive seen suggested you should elsewhere. do i need to dig the back up and replant them higher?

i dont really have much to cover the two beds with in terms of protection from slugs and birds

briefly:
1) my onions are now 3 inch high green tops, which will sit like that all winter, establishing a lovely good root system. When it warms up in spring, they'll take off, fatten up, and be ready for harvest about June.

2) Plants need light to grow ... if you've really covered your onions over with something, you need to take it off.

3) Slugs and birds don't really bother onions. A few might get uprooted by foraging blackbirds, but they don't eat them.

4) onion sets are planted just below the soil surface, with the pointy end barely covered

[zazen999]

Hi Selfheal.

Oops!

I'd just call and get the cover taken off. they will probably have rooted by now and sent up a shoot - so the birds won't get them and slugs don't usually nibble onion sets.

Mine go in the ground and aren't touched until they are ready [although I do harvest some early smaller when we run out of onions in the spring], the odd one or two pops out but it just gets pushed back in. I don't think there is any need for any netting IMO, just leave them to their own devices and get on with any other stuff that needs doing.

[selfheal]

ahh excellent

i shal give my dad a call tomorrow and get him to lift the covers. Atleast the terram letds a little light through, if not much!

ta for the advice!