Plant summer onions to over-winter?

[fran]

Hi! Does anyone think that I could plant Centurian and Stuttgarter Giant onion sets to over-winter in the sunny south-east of England, or should I try and save them for next Spring?

Thanks for any advice!

Fran

[sarraceniac]

I'd save them Fran. They aren't really designed for winter growing. Why don't you buy a few sets of Japanese Radar Onions or even plant some seeds (better in MHO)? I've had great success with them. They don't grow into monsters but are of a decent size and wonderful taste. And you can harvest them a couple of months early.

[fran]

Thanks Saracen! I was going to try sets again - did it last year with good results, but may try seed as well if you think they're better! It's a space problem!! Not too late to plant seeds?

[sarraceniac]

Thanks Saracen! I was going to try sets again - did it last year with good results, but may try seed as well if you think they're better! It's a space problem!! Not too late to plant seeds?

No. September is the best time for planting seeds or late winter/early spring for sets.

[General Woundwort]

Hullo, rather than barge in and start littering the place up with threads, I thought to piggy-back on this thread.

I live in the extreme north of the mainland, in Caithness, and have simply grown simple veg - potatoes, onions and the like - after turfing up the garden this year. I'd intended to prepare some veg to grow over winter, but time ran away and I can see there not being sufficient time to get them in growth.

Or is there? Could I still have time? This is coastal, with snow-falls not expected until late December and then they don't lie long. I have been considering winter onions, but would need to look out the sets soon.

[sarraceniac]

Hi G W. You have a good month to get going, even in Caithness, one of the most beautiful parts of the UK if I may digress. You should be looking at things like winter cabbage (January King springs immediately to mind), Brussels sprouts, which taste better after the frost has been on them but if growing from seed get them in ASAP because they are slow growing and are best planted earlier in the year. But you may be in time. Many root vegs are fine to over-winter. But rather than list them all I suggest you go to:-

Fall and Winter Vegetable Planting Guide

and see what is available. You should then have a good choice for early spring.

[General Woundwort]

Cheers for that. I'd grown brussels at a previous garden, but they were planted in June I recall.

I'm also considering preforming a Zimbabwean-style land-reclaimation at another wee plot of land, so onions will be aplenty.