Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Spring Onions

Collapse

X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Spring Onions

    hello

    i planted a few onions for the first time this year because someone bought me some onion sets, however they are a red variety and therefore i've allready lost some to bolting not a disaster though because we've been eating them as spring onions and they are great (big for spring onions too) and i was wondering, rather than mess around with spring onions from seed, how would it turn out if i just planed say 100 onion sets (bought from the pound shop or somewhere similar) at very close spacings, if not touching, surely by june i'd have a fair few pretty large and very tasty spring onions...

    and its so much less hassle than seeds.

    Does anyone else do this?

    (also i've made more space in the garden for proper onions next year)

    opinions?
    Last edited by George.m; 01-06-2014, 01:20 PM.
    Tags: None
  • #2
    I have been doing it for years, I also overwinter some.
    Feed the soil, not the plants.
    (helps if you have cluckies)

    Man v Squirrels, pigeons & Ants
    Bob

    Comment

    • #3
      just like to add, i just bought 80 sets from b&q for 90p, planted them 2" apart in rows 4" apart (roughly), they will probably come too nothing but its fun to experiment, the ground wasnt being used anyway, they have untill august to become edible xD
      Last edited by George.m; 01-06-2014, 02:27 PM.

      Comment

      • #4
        Same as fishpond, I've been growing sets in containers at very close spacing and you get lovely big salad onions. I can't resist those cheap nets of onion sets from the pound shops and they usually all sprout. No idea what a bunch of spring onions costs in the shops but if the sets are only a penny each you can't go wrong.

        Comment

        • #5
          A question about drying onions to store. Why do people dry onions with all the foliage on? why not cut off most of the green straight away? Complete plants take up a lot of room.
          photo album of my garden in my profile http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...my+garden.html

          Comment

          • #6
            Except for the bolters, I don't lift mine until the foliage has mostly shrivelled and all the nourishment has transferred to the bulb where I want it. If you cut off the green stuff you will have smaller onion bulbs.
            My gardening blog: In Spades, last update 30th April 2018.
            Chrysanthemum notes page here.

            Comment

            • #7
              Yes I understand that but even when the leaves are dying back people hang them up to dry do they not. I just wonder what point there is in drying leaves that you are going to cut off anyway. Why not cut them off at say 4 inches and bin the leaves then just dry the bulbs for storage.
              photo album of my garden in my profile http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...my+garden.html

              Comment

              • #8
                Originally posted by Bill HH View Post
                Yes I understand that but even when the leaves are dying back people hang them up to dry do they not. I just wonder what point there is in drying leaves that you are going to cut off anyway. Why not cut them off at say 4 inches and bin the leaves then just dry the bulbs for storage.
                If you are going to string the onions you need the dry leaves to do so.
                Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

                Comment

                • #9
                  Originally posted by roitelet View Post
                  If you are going to string the onions you need the dry leaves to do so.
                  Sorry to harp on about this but when you string onions you cut off all but about 4 inches and yes you need to dry that out but why the other 2 feet of leaves.
                  photo album of my garden in my profile http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...my+garden.html

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Possibly because they may still contain some nutrients so make better bulbs?
                    A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Penellype View Post
                      Possibly because they may still contain some nutrients so make better bulbs?
                      Possibly, but I have a bit of a phobia about doing things just because its always been done. I can understand it with flower bulbs but once pulled up I reckon an onion has just about done it's thing, in fact you can eat them fresh and they taste superb. Any way I am going to shut up as I am coming across as being argumentative. I will do a test on some and see.
                      photo album of my garden in my profile http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...my+garden.html

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Excellent, let us know what happens
                        A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP. - Leonard Nimoy

                        Comment

                        Previous template Next

                        Latest Topics

                        Collapse
                        View All

                        Recent Blog Posts

                        Collapse
                        View All
                        Working...
                        X