All things Allium - Leeks, onion, shallots etc

[Mi Jardín]

Just harvested the rest of my garlic crop, and they are brilliant! A few tiddlers in there, but most are reallt great. I am so chuffed! They have been in the pots since october and I have been desperate to harvest them...partially so I reuse the pots and get some else growing, its soooo addictive!

[Cosmo and Dibs]

Should you put bone meal in the hole that you plant onions in?

[Snadger]

Should you put bone meal in the hole that you plant onions in?

Bonemeal is a slow release phosphate fertiliser with a tiny bit of Nitro. It should help the roots get established without the fear of scorch! Not imperitive you use it, but if you've got plenty it will certainly do no harm!

[zazen999]

Further development

Next batch - I pulled one yesterday - this was sown in Sept and the same as the ones where the cloves were just developing.

You can clearly not only see the cloves now forming but use them in curries such as the potato and chick pea curry I'm currently cooking.

The bulb still has a way to go - the outer leaves aren't yet papery as on fully formed cloves and the individual clove hasn't got that outer shell. Both are thicker and still need removing [I've peeled the outer leaves down so that you can see the cloves underneath].

[susieq100]

Leek question.
I have my leeks still in the tray I planted them in - they are small spring onion size - not even pencil thickness yet. I think they need planting out really, but I have no space to put them in the plot yet - they are going to follow early spuds so 3-4 weeks before I have enough room. Should I put them into an empty corner, just to get them out of the tray and then move them again, or shall I leave them in the tray? If I planted them out, they would be still be very close together or I could put them in big deep planter about 2 inches apart. (Neighbour gave me several yesterday, what a nice person she is!) Any advice would be welcome.

[zazen999]

Empty corner, then you can put them in either in bulk or a few at a time when you have the space. I usually plant mine out in the same spacing as they had in the pot they were started in....they don't mind being moved at all - in fact I think the extra move gives them some oomphh to get going once they are in their final position in later summer/early autumn.

I'm going to remove a load of onions that are set aside for seed saving later to the lottie to see out their days in between the dwarf bean plantings...they are too big now for their little raised bed that they have sat in since early spring.

[susieq100]

Thanks Sarah - another job for today! Off to get my gardening trousers on.

[zazen999]

Sarah??????

[FionaH]

I have been using my winter sown onions for a while yet. The ones still in the ground are sitting poud of the surface. About half the onion is showing. Will they be alright to leave for a bit or should i lift and dry them now, some are still a little small

[zazen999]

Are they drying out or have they still got green stems?

I'm leaving mine until they start falling over, and using those first.

[FionaH]

They are still green but the bulbs that are showing are drying off a bit

[zazen999]

I'd just keep using them until the tops go brown. If there are any left by then.

[FionaH]

Ok will do, cheers Andrea

[Snadger]

You can just about see mine in this piccie.......I had to pull them because of the dreaded whiterot!

[Edwardo82]

Had a look at my onions last night and they are really starting to swell up also the shallots.

The leaves are still nice and green and if I spot any flower head shoots they come straight off, keep the watering going as well.