How many onions

[Alison]

Didn't plant any autumn onions as the bed isn't prepared in time but am about to order some sets for spring sowing. Am thinking of planting a selection of red and white onions and some shallots. Just looking on various web sites and most of them do seem to sell them in very large volumes, not really sure I want 100 of each as am pretty sure I won't have enough space for that but would like to grow a variety. Where does anybody get their sets from and how many do you all plant up?

[shirlthegirl43]

I had no luck with onions last year - they just didn't come to anything (prolly too wet and chilly here). However, I planted 15 each of 2 varieties of shallot and got a great return.

I will probably try a local garden centre for sets again this year where you select however many sets you want and pay by weight -they sell seed potatoes the same way.

[SarzWix]

I plant at least one pack each of red & white, they take up one 1.2mx3m bed. This year I'm planting about 6 packs to try and get us more than 2 months worth!

[pigletwillie]

I grow about 300 setton or sturon sets, about 200 red pearl, a few hative de niort and golden globe shallots from sets then banana shallot, rose de roscoff and a few red mammoths from seed.

We use loads of onions esp in the pasta sauce.

[SarzWix]

My chosen varieties will be Hercules and Red Emperor, plus I've taken a fancy to some from T&M described as reddish brown, i think they're called Rosanna?

It really depends whether you a) use a lot of onions,and b) whether you want to grow enough for a month or a year! Work out how many you use in a week, then multiply it up, allowing for some losses to birds, bolting etc.

[zazen999]

I'm not writing my list of varieties down as I also grow hundreds, and have got about 8 different varieties of seed just this year - including 150 sets that went in 3 months ago.

We use onions in pretty much every meal, so I need lots. If I had to only grow one thing, it would be onions.

[bluemoon]

I grow hundreds too, mainly Centurion which is a variety I first grew when I couldn't get my first choice, which at the time was Stutgartter Giant. I've found that the Centurions are better.

[Two_Sheds]

Work out how many you use in a week, then multiply it up, allowing for some losses to birds, bolting etc.

That's what I do. We eat onions nearly every day, in soups, stews etc.

I lost half my crop to White Rot last year ... but I still have enough in the shed to last me another 6 weeks or so. (I planted about 400 sets I think)

They don't take up a huge amount of room if you plant them in a grid not in rows ... about 4 inches apart each way.

x x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x x

[bobleponge]

I've planted 2 bags of winter sets, 1 red 1 white which will last me for the year till I plant again, thats approx 300 onions. Like a lot of people, I use onions daily, so they soon go.

[Snadger]

They don't take up a huge amount of room if you plant them in a grid not in rows ... about 4 inches apart each way.

x x x x x x
x x x x x
x x x x x x

Youre getting very loving in your old age TS!

[Paul Wagland]

You can plant onions quite close together - they just don't grow as big. I put them in at roughly 10cm spacings in a grid, just like TwoSheds. They don't get huge but if you pull up every second onion as you need them (ie use them 'green' rather than drying them) then the remaining ones get much bigger.

[Snadger]

I grow whatever sets I can get a hold of but always look for the onions that are described as 'good keeprs or 'store well' Never bother with red onion sets as they always bolt on me but I do grow Florence red 'long' onions from seed and also red ham onions Rosa Lunga di Firenze.(probably another variant?) I also grow a few Kelsae (sown tomorrow!) and some onion/shallot Zebrune which were very hard to source as there was a crop failure last year. What with Shallot F1 Matador grown from seed and Golden bear onion grown to see if it lives up to it's promise of being white rot resistant, I should be well onioned.

I aim to fill five beds each 4 foot by 13 foot with onions! No idea how many will be grown but just start planting out plants in April and if I still haven't filled beds just top up with onion sets!

[Alison]

That's a lot of onions Snadger! As things stand I'm probably going for a single 10' x 4' bed of onions as any more than that would mean cutting back on something else that I wanted to grow. The only other way I'd have room for more is if I give them their own year in the rotation which would upset other plans. Will keep with this of next year and then see for another year. Am a bit loathed to grow too many more if it means not growing something else as, although I use onions a lot, I can buy tasty ones pretty cheaply and easily as oppose to some other things I grow. Will have to reassess after the first full year on the plot!

[zazen999]

I saw onions earlier this month in Tescos for 50p each...totally outrageous.

[Alison]

I saw onions earlier this month in Tescos for 50p each...totally outrageous.

That's OK, don't go near the place if I can help it - one of the most liberating things I ever did was realise that I didn't need supermarket, thought it would make things difficult, was wrong, it's much simpler and much less stressful!