Onions, garlic and shallots

[Late Bloomer]

Hi all,

I read in a magazine that it is ideal to get autumn onion sets in by 20th September. Obviously, that boat has sailed and I was wondering the latest you can get them in? Garlic and shallots too!

I am just about to start the process of moving from a half to full plot at the allotment. Will the end of October be too late?

Cheers,

Late

[kathyd]

I think November is generally considered the best time for garlic, but onions usually earlier. I won't even have mine until I've been back to the UK the first week in October, so I'm just going to plant them and hope for the best - I may cover the onions though, depending on the weather.

[Guest]

My great grandmother had the saying of "plant on the shortest day - harvest on the longest day"
it is a simple one to remember, so does for me. So plant Sunday 2nd November or somewhere close to that.

[Penellype]

The shortest day is 21st December - I would have thought it would be too cold for planting by then.

[Guest]

oo er! Must read things properly when using google. For garlic and shallots I found it fine. Admittedly I am a bit lazy now a days and I have the fortune of having potato onions and I treat them and garlic as perenials.

[Kirk]

Just get them in the ground.
What ever makes Sept 20th special, and since when has a garlic/onion/shallot read a calender and gone on strike and refused to grow.
Would have ben more sense for the magazine just to have said try to get in the ground by the end of Sept and left it at that.
Also I would not put onion sets in too early, they could produce good growth now, consider this as year 1 and then bolt next year if they count that as year 2, especially as Sept is mild this year.

And Penellype is right Dec 21 is the shortest day. Since we tend to plant garlic about now, say Oct then harvest when the leaves brown and fall over on garlic which tends to be July/August that bit of folklaw seems out, however we have different garlic now.

[bravo2zero]

I start mine off in cells usually 3rd week in september after ive bought them from harrogate flower show. this give me time to prep the ground whilst they are growing on and plant them out when ready which is usually by november. give or take a few weeks it doesnt really matter.

[Greenleaves]

Mine are all in, always have aim for the second week of Sept

[VolesAteMyPeas]

I put my shallots in today. It's still quite mild so didn't want to get them in too early. Garlic I usually leave until mid to late October.

[astraman1]

put my garlic in today also put some winter onions in too

[Bex]

I've put half mine in, other half go in tomorrow


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[Jardiniere]

Blimey! I dont put mine in til October ..sometimes November......

[Late Bloomer]

Thanks for all the replies

I got my new plot yesterday, so I will be getting them in as soon as they arrive next week!

Cheers,

Late

[Noosner]

I planted my garlic on 21st Dec last year, just to try out the old folklore, and they were okay. Not brilliant, i.e. a bit small, but they cloved up nicely. Of course that might have been down to factors other than the planting date. This year I planted some in mid-Sept and I'll be putting some more in next month. Onions went in mid-Sept too.

[teakdesk]

The plant on shortest day lore applies to garlic which needs a hard cold spell to wake it up properly and get it growing.

If planted early and it strarts growing too soon then the frosts later on will kill the green growth.

Garlic should not be seen to be growing above ground until early spring when the worst of the cold has gone.