Onions 2023.

[Bren In Pots]

Not intended as a thread for onion problems as such but more for which varieties peeps are growing and how they're doing

A link to last years thread ;-

Onions 2022 - The Grapevine (growfruitandveg.co.uk)

[Penellype]

I have already bought a bag of Sturon sets, the variety I usually grow. My plot has white rot and growing onions at home is a waste of time as they come out the same size as they went in. This year I have a cunning plan, although I have no idea if it will work. I will shortly be making a hotbed which consists of 100% fresh horse manure topped up with bought and therefore hopefully sterile compost. I intend to experiment with growing onions in it to see if I can grow them without the white rot.

[Snoop Puss]

Good luck, Penellype. Hope it works.

I'll be growing my usuals again this year. My cunning plan of growing fewer (no long storage onions) but lots more leeks has worked very well. So it'll be more of the same: Figueres and Moradas de Amposta for onions, plus Chef's White and Freezo for leeks. The Chef's White seeds are two years old. What do we reckon. Sow thickly and hope for the best or just buy new ones?

[annie8]

Am growing onions for the first time. Part of my plan to make better use of the beds over autumn/winter so sowed two types of autumn ones last autumn. Must check the names-Electra was one I think. They seem to be doing ok and have a little green growth. A few got pulled out by the birds so have just replanted.

[Sweet savory]

I have Hi Keeper about 15 or 16 planted out on the plot from seed in the autumn and mostly doing well. A few puny ones are with the majority under a cloche to try and improve their prospects. They will be given a feed next month.
I sowed old Alisa Craig seed about 2 weeks ago inside and about a dozen through so far although slow. I also sowed Kelsae and they have come up in a few days. Both on a windowsill prop which I turn on overnight only.

[rary]

Have sown seeds of Zebrune which are shallots but hopefully will be large enough to be used like onions, and also seeds of Liria which is a sweet onion

[peanut]

I stopped growing onions years ago as they always ended up with some disease or another but have decided to try my luck again.
This year I'm growing Autumn Champion onion and Griselle shallots plus Elephant and Eden Rose garlic.
Fingers crossed for a healthy crop!

[mrsbusy]

I'm going to risk asking this question.....do your home grown onions taste better than the supermarket ones!!?
I do a lot of cooking from scratch, mainly vegetarian. I use onions pretty much daily but never on Fridays. (In case you are wondering we always have fish n chips) so on the weekly shop we get 10 onions, sometimes more if I'm making chutneys.
To grow enough would mean using a really big portion of my plot and I prefer to grow stuff which costs more to buy and does taste better than the supermarket stuff. I do grow leeks which have stood in the ground overwinter and are still good.

[Snoop Puss]

The big advantage of growing your own onions, mrsbusy, is you can grow ones you like. The varieties I grow for summer, autumn and early winter definitely taste better than ones I can buy in the shops by and large (and when I can find my preferred varieties in shops, they tend to be two or three times the price of standard onions).

I used to grow all our onions, and like you, we get through a lot. Last season, I changed my approach: I still grew lots of onions but not as many as in previous years, as I decided against growing the very long storage ones for late winter use, which do not taste better than ones you can buy in the shops, plus I always lose some as they go soft in storage. Instead, I grew more overwintering leeks, which can stay in the ground rather than needing to be stored. Plus, leeks are ridiculously expensive here in comparison with onions.

[mrsbusy]

Good answer Snoop Puss - I don't think I have noticed any variety on the loose onions I buy. I bought a net of onions before Xmas but as you say there was fair bit of waste with soft onions
I do notice the difference especially with carrots supermarket v home grown altho I haven't grown carrots but can get from local organic grower just down the road (Tolhurst)
Quite agree re leeks.

[ameno]

I'm going to risk asking this question.....do your home grown onions taste better than the supermarket ones!!?
I do a lot of cooking from scratch, mainly vegetarian. I use onions pretty much daily but never on Fridays. (In case you are wondering we always have fish n chips) so on the weekly shop we get 10 onions, sometimes more if I'm making chutneys.
To grow enough would mean using a really big portion of my plot and I prefer to grow stuff which costs more to buy and does taste better than the supermarket stuff. I do grow leeks which have stood in the ground overwinter and are still good.

I find they taste largely the same. Although my homegrown onions are a lot more potent on the eyes (if I have to cut up more than one I'm usually in genuine pain by the end).
However you can grow a surprisingly large number from a small space. In 2021 I got 29kg from an area about 6ft x 7ft (last year wasn't so good as they got mildew).

[Jungle Jane]

I only grow red onions I’ve got about 70 growing…You can tell the difference with how fresh they are compared to shops. These are eaten raw so you can notice they’re juicy when slicing & better taste,much better than shops dried out red onions. I buy white onions for cooking with. They do take a lot of ground space,this year I’ve planted the sets around some broccoli plants,I’ll eventually cut the stems of the broccoli to ground level & the worms can eat the roots leaving their manure for my onions. I’ve also got some red onions in containers & a few in the kitchen.

[annie8]

Onions very much an experiment for me this year, part of trying to make the most of my beds throughout the year. Shall see what I get in terms of return and flavour and decide whether it is worth doing again.

[mrsbusy]

I only grow red onions I’ve got about 70 growing…You can tell the difference with how fresh they are compared to shops. These are eaten raw so you can notice they’re juicy when slicing & better taste,much better than shops dried out red onions. I buy white onions for cooking with. They do take a lot of ground space,this year I’ve planted the sets around some broccoli plants,I’ll eventually cut the stems of the broccoli to ground level & the worms can eat the roots leaving their manure for my onions. I’ve also got some red onions in containers & a few in the kitchen.

Ok I'm going to try growing a few red ones because I do agree they tend to be quite shriveled up if shop bought.
do you recommend any particular variety ? Think I'll go for 'sets'.

[ameno]

If you're getting red onion sets, make sure to go for ones which say they've been heat-treated. Red onions are a lot more prone to bolting than brown ones are, and heat treatment helps to reduce the likelihood of that happening (although you'll probably still get one or two bolting).
Bolted onions can still be eaten, but they won't grow any larger and won't store, so should be used straight away (although, don't be tempted to eat the fleshy base of the flower stem. I tried that once, and it tasted horrible).