Have I missed the boat for onions this year?

[MrsCordial]

Hello. Usually I plant onion and garlic sets in November, but I had a slipped disc so I couldn't do any gardening. I'm more or less okay now, and wondering if I can catch up, or if that's it til next November now?

I have no greenhouse or polytunnel and very limited space inside to start things off. Pretty much without exception I plant seeds straight into my veg patch in the spring and continue sowing through the season. If I planted onion seeds (can you get garlic seeds or would it just be cloves?) in the spring, would much happen?

I'm seriously out of my onion comfort zone here!

[Sheneval]

I put in garlic cloves this time last year as I only got my plot at the end of November and that was the best I could do - I covered them with straw and fleece and they came up fine although they were not large. I removed the covering when I saw they were coming through in the spring - I'll check my diary for the exact date - my onions were in earlier in my grandkid's plot so I can't speak for them although I did put in Alliums at the same time as the garlic and they too cam up fine and flowered.

[MrsCordial]

Thanks Sheneval

[veggiechicken]

You've only missed the overwintering onions, Mrs C. Onion sets are just going on sale now for planting in spring.

[Sheneval]

Hi again - just checked my dates:

3 Jan 2013 - planted garlic cloves and alliums bulbs
4 Jan 2013 - covered with straw and fleece which also provided protection from the rabbits.
14 Mar 2013 - 2" of growth in garlic cloves so pulled straw back from touching them but left both straw and fleece in situ. as it was a bad spring. Now need to check when I finally removed both My friend Jim had nothing through - he put my leftovers in at the same time but left them uncovered.

Good Luck

[WilliamD]

If all else fails there'll be onion sets available from all the usual suppliers around March. Plant some of those and, with a good summer, you should get reasonably-sized onions six months later in the autumn.

[Bill HH]

No your not too late providing you grow from sets, they will be smaller or later than the winter ones but quite acceptable. Same with the garlic cloves. In fact this is the first year I have grown winter onions, I always grew them in the spring. I read somewhere that the winter onions don't store as well as spring planted ones.

[lottie dolly]

the idea of over wintering onions is,to give you onions when your stored ones are running out/stared to shoot,the spring sown ones are the ones you store for use over the winter,so you have two only planting in 1 year,the spring ones being the main lot,therefore lots more of them,than the autumn sown,plus any 1 off them can be chopped and frozen,for a quick use,or if your fresh stocks run out,

[chris]

You can still grow from seed too. Real seeds sell various onions suitable for sowing jan/feb.


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[MrsCordial]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the explanations and advice. As I was putting in an order with Real Seeds I've ordered onion seed too, and might acquire some onion + garlic sets/cloves for spring sowing as well.

[tumbling tom]

I always sow in Feb/march and pick end if September.

Plenty big enough by then.

Get something like Bedfordshire Champion or Alisa Craig for sure results in that window.

[SeleneMourie]

Ohhh would seeds still be ok now then? I was planning to start them in December but with all the storms and Christmas i totally forgot! I grew my first onions from seed following the big post by Mally was it? that was up last year.
They were fairly small but i didn't follow all of the things on the post... like staking only half with the hoop things... :/

[Aberdeenplotter]

yes. Just crack on. Staking isn't really important unless you want them to grow straight so unless you want to join the ministry for straight onions, don't get too hung up about that aspect.

[Ananke]

I'm much in the same boat as yourself, didn't get my seeds in on time but I just went ahead and sowed them cell trays yesterday and I'll put them outside when they come through. If they don't look like they are coming on i'll just fall back on sets.

Good luck!

[Guykp57]

When do I feed my overwintering onions and with what?


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