Over Wintering Onions advice

[Samurailord]

Hi all

Last weekend I planted out a couple of bags of onions and some garlic that I picked up from Wilkinsons.

There were 50 Japanese White, 50 Red (unidentified) and three bulbs of garlic. (All at £2 per bag)

My question is - do I need to do anything to overwinter them, or will they do it all by themselves?

Andy

[rustylady]

You need to keep an eye on them to make sure the birds don't pull them out. Once they start growing they should take care of themselves.

When (if) the weather warms up in Spring give them a feed.

[Dead Dogs]

I have given up on over wintered onions. Had yet another dismal result this year. So bad I went out an brought additional onion set in the spring. The spring planting produced bigger and better onions that those planted in the autumn.

I'm going to try spring grown garlic this year. Or should that be next year?

[VirginVegGrower]

Hi all

Last weekend I planted out a couple of bags of onions and some garlic that I picked up from Wilkinsons.

There were 50 Japanese White, 50 Red (unidentified) and three bulbs of garlic. (All at £2 per bag)

My question is - do I need to do anything to overwinter them, or will they do it all by themselves?

Andy

The red at Wilkos are Red Electric. Feed in Spring. Net once planted as birds love pulling at them. Must think they are worms

[SlugLobber]

Oops, I must be the worst onion mother! I plant mine and neither net OR feed! I patrol once a week or so and put back wayward bulbs and that's it. Apart from the odd hoeing (is that even a word??).

[mrbadexample]

When (if) the weather warms up in Spring give them a feed.

What sort of feed please? I'm guessing you don't mean cornflakes...

[Kaiya]

I have given up on over wintered onions. Had yet another dismal result this year. So bad I went out an brought additional onion set in the spring. The spring planting produced bigger and better onions that those planted in the autumn.

I'm going to try spring grown garlic this year. Or should that be next year?

Opposite for me, to the extent that I'll be growing Japanese Onions more than normal maincrops.

For mine I planted the Senshyu sets in modules in Oct (for my peace of mind; I don't think the onions cared either way), planted out in Nov, half heartedly chucked a bit of soggy grass mulch around them (to a depth of about 1/2 inch lol) twice over winter, then I chucked some BFB around them in spring. I got large onions, fantastic flavour, good size, good storage, very very impressed. Seriously, the onions were to shop bought onions almost what homegrown sweetcorn is to shop bought - that's how impressed I am.

I didn't weed the bed until I pulled them all up in June/July - the grass mulch and the onions themselves excluded most weeds.

[rustylady]

What sort of feed please? I'm guessing you don't mean cornflakes...

No, nor Rice Crispies General purpose fertiliser (Blood, fish and bone, or Growmore.

[SarzWix]

Mine tend to do better up here in the soggy North-West if I put a cloche over them to keep the heavy rain off a bit. They don't seem to like sitting in soggy soil...

[northepaul]

If the birds pull them out, I usually just pop em back in!

[VirginVegGrower]

What sort of feed please? I'm guessing you don't mean cornflakes...

I use potash, although phosphate is used for roots (commonly). BFB as RL says is a general feed. Growmore is inorganic.

[Samurailord]

Went to check up on the onions and garlic last night - a few were out on the top, and a few had been shuffled sideways!

It looks like our local foxes have been digging in my beds again, and there is a large smoothed area in the middle that looks just like where our cats lie on the beds at home in the sun, so I am assuming that one or more of the foxes has taken a little nap!

I know that the foxes have been around because I had left one of my beds with just cardboard down, ready for filling and the cardboard was literally covered with paw prints going every which way.

I have replanted all the casualties - I just hope this doesn't become too regular a problem!

Andy

[Chef_uk]

I didn't plant mine so deep this year (Last October but you know what i mean ) and around 75% failed. Going back to burying them completely by just a couple of mm like last year's harvest and then removing some soil around them as they start to fill out next May.

[horticultural_hobbit]

I just poke a dibber in, and drop the sets in. Last year. I think I dibbed a bit too deep. Same for garlic, have to wedge that in, and leave the tip exposed. Shallots require the dibber to be waggled a bit.

[lottie dolly]

put mine straight in the ground this year,first time,i noticed today both onion and garlic are starting to send up green shoots ,i used a wooden dibber to make a hole and pop the cloves in,and the onions just pushed them in,i had recently dug the ground over special for them,so it was very soft,i had to walk on planks,it has saved me both time and compost in direct sowing,i will be doing it again with the sring sown sets,or my own if i get any seed to grow,{i have some waiting in pkt's }