All things Allium - Leeks, onion, shallots etc

[Snadger]

.....my golden bear have germinated and one of my kelsae is showing.............I should be able to remember this date with ease!

[pigletwillie]

My Carentan and Jolant leeks are showing, just 6 days on the kitchen worktop. There is some compost movement in the onion pots so I expect hem to show soon too.

[Hole Digger]

Sowed approx 80 Ailsae onions on the 23rd Dec must have around 70 germinated and about 2 inches tall, there's a couple starting to lift toward the crook stage

[bobleponge]

Today I planted Atal leeks from Lucien Clause, planted in the style described by PW, as I have had poor success with leeks.
Also planted Fothergills White Lisbon Spring onions, again as PW described.
Will plant more on the 7th in the same fashion and carry out a control as I grow the 2 lots side by side, with exactly the same treatments.

[BrideXIII]

Leeks are in
6 musselburgh

also 6 cipolla rossa lunga de firenze ( red onions)

propagator, kitchen windsowsill muti purpose compost.

[coomber]

1 pkt of leeks sown, Musslebrough(sp?)
Sown in two large pots of multi purpose compost, plastic bags put over them and left inside by the patio doors.

[vicky]

My Banana shallots planted on the 29/12/08 are just starting to show today. Multipurpose compost, warm (not sunny) kitchen windowsill.

[Jenegade]

Sowed approx 80 Ailsae onions on the 23rd Dec must have around 70 germinated and about 2 inches tall, there's a couple starting to lift toward the crook stage

What's the crook stage? Think I'll sow my leeks soon (Musselburgh), not entirely sure what I'm doing though!

Started some onions off though: I put 3/4 onion seeds in newspaper pots (the origami ones, ~2 inches diameter), 8 little pots of Rijnsburger and 8 little pots of Red baron. They were sown on New Years Eve and are already starting to show! Will sow some more at the beginning of Feb!

[JILLY JACKSON]

Read the other day on here somewhere that you can have a permanent onion bed.I would really like that,we use so many onions.Whats needed and why please?Sorry to be a bitignorant.

[pigletwillie]

Jenegade, the crook stage is where they have germinated and their shape resembles shepherds crooks as they are bent over almost double.I do them when they are of a size thats big enough to transpant without damaging them as I have sausage fingers.

[hawthorns]

ive sown

bedfordshire champion onion seed 3 to each module x8
musselburgh leek seed 3 to each module x20
prisma shallot seed 3 to each module x12

into compost topped off with vermiculite

placed into propagator

musselburgh leek 15/20 modules have germinated at present
bedfordshire champ 8/8 modules germinated
prisma 2/8 modules at present

[Jenegade]

Jenegade, the crook stage is where they have germinated and their shape resembles shepherds crooks as they are bent over almost double.I do them when they are of a size thats big enough to transpant without damaging them as I have sausage fingers.

Thanks PW, that makes sense. My Onions are only just showing, but as they are already in paper pots with only a few in each I wont be transplanting them for a while I guess!

[smallblueplanet]

We're growing some of PWs rose de roscoff onions (seeds planted today) and will have run out of seed. Bit early yet, I realise, but how do you save onion seeds?

[pigletwillie]

You do the following SBP

Sow seed of the type you want (Open pollinated, not F1) and grow said onions.
Save a dozen good onions and replant the following March.
These onions will complete their life cycle and all will bolt, leaving you with a seed head. When this starts to dry off, pop a paper bag over the seed head and secure with an elastic band to catch the seed.
When reasonably dry, cut them off and lay in a seed tray lined with newspaper and keep turning till dry and the seeds start falling out.
Seperate the seeds from the chaff and store in a dry cool place.
Label well.

[pigletwillie]

My Rose de roscoff are up,as are the remaining leeks.