Starting onion sets in pots

[Claire72]

I have never had any luck growing onions in my garden, (apparently idiot proof crop) although I have had plenty of luck with carrots (apparently quite difficult) However, a colleague at work mentioned that her sister always started her onions off in compost in pots on the windowsills. Her reasons for this were that the birds and mice struggled more to whip them away from the ground if they already had a good root system on them.
I dutifully potted them up in some compost I had on Wednesday last week, and have been eagerly watching for signs of life (I'm quite impatient lol) So far no signs of happy onions, but I may be hurrying them too much.....
Does anyone else do this?

[tlck9]

I plant in pots if the ground is too hard/wet, in fact they have grown better than the ones in the ground

[Chef_uk]

Mine aren't showing much on top (went in pots on the 20th Feb) But their roots were poking out of the bottom so I potted them on in to deeper pots the other day. There must have been 15+ roots on each one all gripping the compost as i lifted them out so I can certainly see some truth in that being the reason why birds wont lift them up.

I would think a fleece blanket would help protect them too whilst they are in the ground but I may be wrong.

I only planted 12 on the 20th so potting them on wasn't much of a problem. I have 41 others from a week later that may cause me some grief lol.

[VirginVegGrower]

Planted my sets in modules three weeks ago, nothing changed much on top so far. First time I am trying this. Last year I sowed direct and was forever having to keep replanting owing to the birds.

[Furny]

Hi Claire
Its my first year of onion & shallot growing (not other veg though) & I started a thread in the new shoots section asking for advice because I was a bit stuck.
Did you watch the Amateur Gardener programme yesterday the lady did just that (repeats are on) & I'm going to have a go too, I haven't got a Greenhouse yet (May) but I'll sit mine in my extension area.
Happy Growing!!!

[Two_Sheds]

I think it's a near-total myth that the birds pull onions out ... because onion sets will pop out of the soil even if they're in a closed greenhouse

If you jam sets into the soil you compact the soil under them. Then when the roots grow they push against the compacted soil and heave themselves out of the ground

Although I do start my sets in modules myself because I like them to get a good headstart before I plant them out - just don't push the sets in, dig a little hole for them

[Furny]

Thanks Two Sheds, I appreciate that advice a lot.
I was like you going to do it more doing to help them with the roots, I don't get many birds at all in the back as its all decked there is nothing much to attract them ,so I wasn't too worried about that & I have two guard cats ours & the neighbours!LOL!

[Dane End Dolly]

if you have the opportunity to see the horticultural channel on tv, they were sowing their onions sets in toilet rolls cut in half, jolly good idea i thought, then you just plant the whole thing into the ground when ready

[Alan G]

This is probably a daft question but when you say toilet roll holders cut in half - how do you stop the compost falling out of the bottom?

[Two_Sheds]

toilet roll holders cut in half - how do you stop the compost falling out of the bottom?

A perennial question

Put your hand over the open bottom as you pack in the compost - surprisingly, it stays in

[zazen999]

Or put the rolls in a tray and then fill them all at once.

The roots will stop the compost falling out

[Furny]

if you have the opportunity to see the horticultural channel on tv, they were sowing their onions sets in toilet rolls cut in half, jolly good idea i thought, then you just plant the whole thing into the ground when ready

Yes I watched it yesterday (see my post above) that encouraged me to do it too!

[Two_Sheds]

Or put the rolls in a tray and then fill them all at once.

Or put a used teabag in the bottom before you fill it

[Alison]

I find that I have far too many onion sets to manage to plant them all in pots before planting out. The thought of how much loo roll I'd have to use to manage to sow them in rolls makes me shudder a bit as I'd have had to be pretty unwell . I do tend to start my shallots off in modules though (grow far more onions that shallots) and to be honest I just shove them in the soil without digging a hole or anything when I plant them out. I do however have quite a light soil and cover with netting until they show through the surface.

[sewer rat]

I have started about 50 Setton and 50 Red Baron in pots n the greenhouse, along with some Hative De Niort Shallots and some Jermor Shallots. The shallots are going great guns and are ready to pot on (they are for showing so don't want to check their growth) and the onion sets are only just starting to show but all have a healthy root growth. The best will be grown on in large pots or in one of my raised beds in the garden, the rest, including the 150 or so not planted in pots, will be put over to my polytunnel at the end of the month.