All things Allium - Leeks, onion, shallots etc

[smallblueplanet]

Have you had an animal traipse across them?

[stevemac]

Andrea

Thanks for the reply.
My street is full of cats(including 2 of ours!).
Weather-wise we are on the east coast so have missed most/a lot of the sun everybody else has been getting.However i don't think there has been much rain either.
The soil is dry but the stalks/leaves are wet .
I pulled up a couple of bunches and they did seem ok but were small IMO but then again maybe i am expecting too much first time around.
Here is another pic





If it helps the varieties used were golden gourmet and red sun

[zazen999]

They look ok...I've been lifting mine for a few weeks now, they will be picked over, some saved for replanting this autumn and the rest pickled.

[stevemac]

Thanks for your help

I will have a good look at them tommorrow.

steve

[hawthorns]

today i have pulled up about 20 onions. these are overwintering japanese radar yellow onions. i have them drying in the sun on wire racks, they are about cricket ball size. can these be stored

[zazen999]

today i have pulled up about 20 onions. these are overwintering japanese radar yellow onions. i have them drying in the sun on wire racks, they are about cricket ball size. can these be stored

Hi.

Only just seen this.

If you can dry them out so that the necks are paper thin then yes. The thicker the necks the less time they will store.

[zazen999]

These last few weeks, I've been sowing the seeds that will hopefully be my early onions for next year.

Just thought I'd share

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Zazen - just viewed the Monty Don video you posted about leeks - do you know of one that will show me how to make an onion plait please? Thanks, Flo.
I've just seen another thread with instructions for a string of onions (what a coincidence), but it's quite difficult to understand the method just reading it. Guess I'll have to have a go!

[zazen999]

Thanks to Manda, I do!!!

Try the links on this thread.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lic_20600.html

[Florence Fennel]

Thanks to Manda, I do!!!

Try the links on this thread.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lic_20600.html

Thanks very much Zazen, the pictures are helpful to someone as senior as me! I love the garlic one.

[Herbie]

Hi
Can anyone help an inexperienced shallot grower? Recently at the GC they were giving away free packets of shallot and garlic sets. So thought I might try some. I got several varieties golden gourmet, Vigarmor plus some elephant garlic cloves. The garlic was past its best and I got one decent clove from three so popped in in a pot for now.

The shallots are in good condition, are these ok to plant in the autumn? If so, whats the best way to store the sets until they can be planted? Also do you start them in pots or direct sow?

Sorry to be a pain, but really appreciate any help.

[zazen999]

Herbie; I'd either string them or keep them cool and dry until then in a paper bag.

Sowing directly, sometimes over the winter they can get lost in the autumn leaves so I sow into modules and plant out when they have a decent root system and some foliage growing.

[Herbie]

Many Thanks Zazen much appreciated, I will give this a go, hopefully by then I will have a bed ready at the lottie. The ones in the garden are not ready yet but think they may have been competing for light and space so will give them a bit longer.

[becslb]

One of my winter sown leeks looks like it has bolted - there is a flower 'bud' - should I nip the bud off or will that leek have gone past it's best?

These leeks were sown in january/february - i have assumed that i can start harvesting in november and that they will keep into the winter months - is this right? I haven't grown leeks before so am learning as i go along!

thanks, bec

[Twinkle]

My onions are looking a decent size now.... no flowering tops, but still green.
I'm going away for a week next week and it's forecast quite wet.
Can I pull them now and leave them on racks in the shed to dry d'you think ?? Theres a lot of them as I grow about 9 months worth so I NEED them to store well. Or should I leave them in the ground for the tops to wither naturally ? Does one method predispose for better storage ?
Thanks for any advice