Red onions

[Dorothy rouse]

My overwintering onions have done well and are now drying in the sun, is it likely the pathetic red onions, planted Feb are likely to fatten up any more! Or should I pull them up also?

Thanks for advice

[Kirk]

Onions fatten up depending on the type and the day length. In our Northern area Long Day varieties do best. They require 14-16 hours of day light to sort of trigger them.
So that means from now onwards, likely ending mid/late August - working on Sept 21st being the equinox.

Trouble is they are just as likely to throw up a seed head in the coming weeks.

[Jay22]

Mine are pretty small too and they have been in since November...it's been a rotten year here for growing anything!

[veggiechicken]

I'm giving up on red onions. They're always pathetic compared to the brown ones and seem to bolt more easily.
Remind me of this in the Autumn, when I'm buying more sets and fall for the prettiness of red onions

[Martin H]

I'm glad it's not just me that can't grow decent red onions. Sets, seed, it's all the same, they are rubbish.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Give em time, as long as you have decent tops on them there is a good chance of success. Keep them well watered and give them a little nitrogen.

At the moment mine aren't even Table tennis ball size but hopefully come September they will look like these from a couple of years ago.

[Martin H]

Ah, "as long as you have decent tops on them". That's my problem, there. Since I planted out my seed-raised ones they've just grown in curled knots of distorted foliage next to the ground. My normal onions aren't great either, but the tops are more than twice as big and much less distorted.

[Dorothy rouse]

Give em time, as long as you have decent tops on them there is a good chance of success. Keep them well watered and give them a little nitrogen.

At the moment mine aren't even tennis ball size but hopefully come September they will look like these from a couple of years ago.

'Tennis ball size' ! Umph ! Mine are like a very small golf ball! I'll leave them a bit longer then, and water them, another 2 weeks and that's it! They're coming up,

[Potstubsdustbins]

Sorry Dorothy I meant Table Tennis balls must be to much Wimbledon. I'll alter it so as not to confuse folks.

[Penellype]

I'm giving up on red onions. They're always pathetic compared to the brown ones and seem to bolt more easily.
Remind me of this in the Autumn, when I'm buying more sets and fall for the prettiness of red onions

My thoughts exactly - the red ones I grew last year (Red Baron) were half the size of the Sturon, half of them bolted and the ones I tried to store developed neck rot which I have never had on the Sturon. I think I got 2 decent sized, unblemished onions from a bag of 50 sets.

[Snadger]

I don't want to put the mockers on myself for next year, but for the last two years my Japanese red onion sets have given a good crop!They are now almost ready for harvesting and the tops are just starting to fall over. Average size is about teacup size, quite a bit bigger than tennis ball size.
I gave up on red spring planted sets years ago although I've had some success from seed.

[Martin H]

Quite a few of my white onions have recovered from the curly wurlies, with the newer leaves growing reasonably straight. But most of the red ones and the white one in the middle of this picture haven't done.

Anyone know what causes this?

[Penellype]

It could be either onion eelworm or allium leaf miner. Eelworms are too small to be seen but cause the leaf distortion and the bulbs split and rot. Leaf miners are big enough to see so if you pull one of hte plants that is affected and look for the culprit this should tell you which it is.

[brownfingers]

Both my red and white onions are fine, It's my shallots which have been pants this year.

[Noosner]

Sorry to be nauseatingly positive, but although my red onions are smaller than my white onions as usual, I don't mind that much because small onions are so useful if you are making a small amount of soup, or a meal for one. So much better than cutting a big onion in half and watching it go rubbery in the fridge.