Over wintering onions

[lez]

I have found in the boot of my car some over wintering onions. I missed them due to other commitments. I was wondering if they could be planted like normal setts in the spring. I don't see why not as I believe they are meant a stop gap. Has any on etried this before.

[Aberdeenplotter]

start them in pots now matey. I'll be doing that with mine

[lez]

Good idea. I will give it a go. I take it you pot them up in the greenhouse or similar.

[Aberdeenplotter]

indeed. Just out of the worst of the weather. If you can keep them frost free so much the better

[Snadger]

A novel place to start your onion sets.........in a car boot.

You could start a trend there, how about 'the mobile allotment'

[veggiechicken]

Have to make sure your windows are clear before driving though!

[Snadger]

That looks like the auld Pug 309 I used to own? Guy that bought it never said he was turning it into a shrubbery!

[veggiechicken]

Would you have sold it to him if he had?

[greenjelly]

I don't see why you can't plant them out in spring - I've found that nature has a way of catching up with herself so things eventually happen at the right time.

As my Grandpa always used to say, 'things have 2 chances - plant them and they might live, don't plant them and they definitely won't live'

Greenjelly

[legume]

Agree with greenjelly: I'd plant them in spring. I missed planting out garlic last autumn so popped it in in early March instead, and the bulbs came out beautifully, just as big as my neighbour's October-sown ones.

As a related question, I planted autumn onion sets for the first time this year (pretty much because my mum told me to), and was then told these onions do not store very long and definitely won't last over winter. How long is 'not very long?' Will I end up with 100 onions that have to be eaten within say August? I mean, I will if I have to, but you wouldn't want to be near me afterwards...

And when do you harvest autumn-sown onions? June? I do have enough space to plant more onion sets in spring, so should I use the aumn-sown ones during summer and the spring-sown ones over autumn/winter?

Grateful for any advice on this!

[dennyjim]

I have some onion seedlings about to be transplanted. What should I do?
They are about 5" high now. Plant out (maybe not) or transplant into pots and keep in greenhouse over winter? Never tried onions from seed. Started off just to see if they would grow, and they have !!!

[Martin H]

I like to plant the seedlings outside in their final places in late October before they get too big and before they stop growing completely. I wash the compost off their roots and plant them with their roots going straight down.

They stand happily through the winter and start growing nicely when the ground warms up again.

[dennyjim]

I like to plant the seedlings outside in their final places in late October before they get too big and before they stop growing completely. I wash the compost off their roots and plant them with their roots going straight down.

They stand happily through the winter and start growing nicely when the ground warms up again.

Thanks Martin, I've got just the wee bed ready for them

[dennyjim]

I don't see why you can't plant them out in spring - I've found that nature has a way of catching up with herself so things eventually happen at the right time.

As my Grandpa always used to say, 'things have 2 chances - plant them and they might live, don't plant them and they definitely won't live'

Greenjelly

LOL Your Granny must have been "Old School"

[chris_m]

As a related question, I planted autumn onion sets for the first time this year (pretty much because my mum told me to), and was then told these onions do not store very long and definitely won't last over winter. How long is 'not very long?'

Japanese ones perchance? I've also heard that they don't store well.

Mine will though - coz every single one of the beggars bolted in May, so I snipped off the flower stalks, left them for another month or so to see if they'd swell the bulbs. They did, so I pulled them, removed the hard base of the stem, chopped the rest, part-cooked them and froze them

And when do you harvest autumn-sown onions? June?

My non-bolting October planted sets, Troys, came out in late June and early July this year.

For next year I'm trying from seed - I have three healthy looking trays of seedlings in the greenhouse to plant out in a few weeks. My take on it is that, if they don't do well over the winter I can always get spring planting sets if need be.