Ground for Onions?

[Kirk]

Is there a soil type that onions, well maybe alliums, do not like?
I gave up with onions a couple of years ago, but have tried other members of the family.

Presently the chives are a bit questionable. Growing but I am not holding out any great hopes, just too thin and underdeveloped. After several weeks of growing there is nothing really there.

The spring onions are following last years attempt. From a full row of sowing only the centre 1/3 is still alive, they all resemble very very fine grass blades and from experience I honestly expect them to fade away. As said 2/3 of them have already.

The garlics are 50/50. One row looked good then the stems began losing size - became thinner - and one I had to remove was tiny. The other row looks more promising although I notice that 2 of them have stems that are thinner then a few weeks back.

So is there a soil type that alliums just do not "grow" in?

[Jay-ell]

My garlic this year is looking scrawny - leaves are dying off too soon. The winter planted onions in the same bed are smaller than those planted in spring (even the shallots I discovered in a bag in the garage a month after the rest).

Onions and other alliums like nitrogen rich soils to help them produce loads of leaves which translates to layers in the bulb. Potassium also helps them bulb up.

They don't like drying out so high organic soil and a mulch helps.