Onions not come up over a month after sowing

[Marb67]

I sowed some baby leeks, spring onions and main crop brunswick onions on 1st march in seed trays with john innes seed sowing compost. So far only the baby leeks have come up. The others are not showing. Is there still time ? I have kept the compost moist.

[fishpond]

I would 'umbly suggest that they are deceased.

[PyreneesPlot]

My leeks sown 3rd March (home saved and the GYO freebies) started showing a few on 25th but didn't really take off until this week so there may still be time.

[bitShifter_]

How old are the seeds?

[Marb67]

Not that old. Surely all of them cant fail.

[Alison]

Where are you germinating them? I find allium seeds don't last as long as some types so it might be worth you doing a viability test, especially as your other (similar type) seeds sound like they're doing fine.

[Marb67]

As I said I am germanating them in john innes seed sowing compost.

[rustylady]

But where Marb? Indoors, out doors, greenhouse?

[Alison]

As I said I am germanating them in john innes seed sowing compost.

You misunderstand, I was asking WHERE you were germinating them, not in WHAT . Temperature can make a lot of difference.

[WeedItAndReap]

Slightly different - I planted my Kelsae onion seeds first week of January. They came up after about 4 weeks (heated propagator at 20c in an unheated greenhouse). I transplanted the 'needle' like shoots into individual small pots in early February, and since then they don't seem to have grown at all. I was assuming by now they might have begun to look a bit like onion sets?

Or have I got 30 small pots now free to do something else with! :S :>

[rustylady]

Be patient Weeditandreap - they are slow to get going especially when transplanted. Probably waiting for the weather to warm up a bit (like me)

[WeedItAndReap]

Thank you. I looked at them again today and wondered if I'd been a bit harsh describing them online. There are two to three 'needle' stems per seedling now - even though nothing else seems to have happened. That must be a good sign, right? Isn't there something about the number of 'stems' being an indicator of the number of layers of the onion?

[Marb67]

In th cold greenhouse which isn't that cold of late.

[rustylady]

Hi Marb - unheated greenhouse should be fine for germinating onions. You said your seed was "not that old" - Could you be more specific? What was the sow by date on the pack, and where have they been stored?

[bearded bloke]

Hi Marb, temperatures in a cold greenhouse plummet at night, you could cover the seedlings with fleece to help stabalise the overall temperature