All things Allium - Leeks, onion, shallots etc

[selfraising]

Thanks for the help Eyren. I don't need monster sized veg so will follow your advice! Do you think, as it's so cold, I should plant them in pots first and then transplant perhaps next month?

[butter fingers]

thinning leeks

do i realy need to thin leek seedlings sown in module trays
reason i ask is that i have got a bit carried away and sown to many in each module, they all seem strong ad no weaklings so it seems a shame to thin them.

[selfraising]

Will they keep?

Hi
I have planted some onion bulbs today but have quite a few left. Will they keep 'til next year if stored carefully?

[zazen999]

do i realy need to thin leek seedlings sown in module trays
reason i ask is that i have got a bit carried away and sown to many in each module, they all seem strong ad no weaklings so it seems a shame to thin them.

No - leave them until they are about 6 inches tall and then plant them out.

Separate to this - I've sown 22 jiffy 7s with a good pinch of onion seed in each - most will go to be used for spring onions.

Hi
I have planted some onion bulbs today but have quite a few left. Will they keep 'til next year if stored carefully?

Probably not - they usually dry out.

If you can't fit them in, what about putting them on the seed swap?

[selfraising]

Thanks Zazen999
I will check with friends first, if nobody can use them I will put on seed swap. Unfortuantely I don't have a huge garden so whenever I buy onion sets or potatoes, I end up with some left over. Just out of interest does anyone know of any suppliers that will sell these veg in smaller quantities?

[BrideXIII]

transplanted leeks and onions still alive, i have them in newspaper pots, one i call 'talls' same size as a highball glass, they look like poorly fed grass, but seem to like it

[FionaH]

All my spring onions have germinated yay! 5 or 6 leeks out of 20 so I have taken the lid off the propagator now. (that is right isnt it?)
Spring onions hardening off outside during the day. I love this growing lark

[zazen999]

My leeks and Elody spring onions in pots germinated and they went outdoors a week ago and they are still growing.

I put about 175 ish sets into raised beds at the lottie yesterday...covered them more than I would normally and popped bubble wrap over the top as I had some kicking around in the car. This will be removed in a few weeks.

Crikey - it's a lovely day out there today - got the back door open.

[pigletwillie]

80 spanish onion seedlings were pricked out last night and some banana shallots were potted on. They will be planted out for seed in March.

[zazen999]

Just been into the chill out room and both the jiffy 7 spring onions are starting to show, plus the module tray of mixed alliums.

yippee!!!

[bramble]

All my onion seed well up now. Had them in the conservatory which is heated but now have them in my unheated greenhouse.
Sowed Spanish Yellow, Red Baron and Buan, an Iriah heritage variety which is white.

[marigold007]

All my seeds germinated. The Spring onions still inside and need to be hardened off. The main crop onions sown in big pots got overcrowded and some are starting to die. I tried to plant some of the yellow onions in individual cells but a combination of me giving them a haircut and putting root fertilizer in the growmore potting mix must have finished them off. So, I have resown them one per cell yesterday. (I now have 10* 60 cell trays.) Redoing the Red onions today. Leeks are still in overcrowded conditions so have moved them in clumps to cell trays in hope of baby leeks. Need to buy more leek seeds. Any recommendations for best tasting leeks? Lesson learned: much easier to sow one per cell for main crop onions. Over.

[Twinkle]

Had a resounding failure with red onions from seed last year, they all rotted in storage.

Trying from sets this year.... I planted them yesterday... is that too soon ??

[selfraising]

Hello Twinkle
I planted mine in pots a couple of weeks ago cos the ground is still quite wet and cold where I live. I have put them in my unheated minigreenhouse for now.

[zazen999]

Had a resounding failure with red onions from seed last year, they all rotted in storage.

Trying from sets this year.... I planted them yesterday... is that too soon ??

Well, 170 odd went into my plot yesterday...I did cover up with some bubble wrap though for a few weeks.