small onions

[pinkprincess]

this may sound a dumb question but i have just harvested my onions and a large number of them have hardly grown from the sets that i planted several months ago. Does anyone know what went wrong?

[rana]

Persistent dry weather can limit the growth of sets.

[rustylady]

Where were they planted? Was the top growth (leaves) good?

[zazen999]

When were they planted? Harvested too early?

[matthew2riches]

Had they flopped over with the tops yellow?

[Two_Sheds]

Mine are ready (foliage yellowed and flopped) and most are OK but quite a few are no bigger than the sets I planted.

It could be poor soil, it could be poor sets (Wilko).

[Snadger]

I would guess lack of nutrients/water or disease of some sort (white rot?)

[matthew2riches]

Mine are ready (foliage yellowed and flopped) and most are OK but quite a few are no bigger than the sets I planted.

It could be poor soil, it could be poor sets (Wilko).

I planted 3 bags of the Wilko sets. 2 bags of white and 1 of red. The are starting to look a little yellow but I am trying to keep them going for as long as I can

[womble]

Weeds at a guess, or water. (or rather lack of)

Weeds can ruin an onion crop, tests have shown that weeds competing early on with onions can completely ruin the crop, even if the weeds are then removed and the onions given enough space.
So early on in the onions lives, you must keep them clear of all weeds.

[pinkprincess]

thanks for all the replies everyone.

Weeds were definately not a problem they were in raised beds and regularly weeded. They were also regularly watered, and showed no signs of disease.

The tops had a good amount of foliage and they had gone over but they were from wilko's, so that may be the issue!! - think i will try from a seed catalogue next time!!

[zazen999]

thanks for all the replies everyone.

Weeds were definately not a problem they were in raised beds and regularly weeded. They were also regularly watered, and showed no signs of disease.

The tops had a good amount of foliage and they had gone over but they were from wilko's, so that may be the issue!! - think i will try from a seed catalogue next time!!

but how long were they in the ground - they might have looked like they went over because of the hot weather as opposed to actually being ready.

[teakdesk]

but how long were they in the ground - they might have looked like they went over because of the hot weather as opposed to actually being ready.

My onions have always gone over early... often very early due, I think, to a windy site and possible irregular watering. They are always still green and I leave them to grow but I never get very big onions.

However, last year I grew onions in a bed with a low net and they grew into the net and were supported. They were the best crop I've ever had.

I'm repeating it this year but so far the onions are too immature to harvest and decide on size.


I have noticed that in the centre of the bed, where I can't reach to weed, it is covered with chick-weed and the onions there are my biggest. I put it down to them being sheltered.

[Pies]

From what I've learnt this year it could be

lack of nutrients in the ground

lack of water or inconsistant watering,ive found in raised beds this needs to be watched carefully,Ihave clay soil and in the raised beds even this dries out fairly quickly

large swings in temp could check growth.If the swing is from hot ie above 15 deg then down and then back up but this usually causes them to bolt to seed

Weeds,they out compete young onions

Thats all i know sorry

[Two_Sheds]

in the centre of the bed, where I can't reach to weed, it is covered with chick-weed and the onions there are my biggest.

When I moved house 3 years ago, I couldn't get to my old plot to weed, but I got a brilliant onion crop once I'd cleared all the chickweed, grass and cleavers away. They weren't watered once, either.

[Alison]

They weren't watered once, either.

Although it probably used to rain back then