laura
Clearing the weeds
Posts: 7
Allotment site: Outside Haywards Heath
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Onions
Oct 27, 2016 10:32:37 GMT
Post by laura on Oct 27, 2016 10:32:37 GMT
Hi all,
I'm considering growing onion from seed next year so I can grow more unusual varieties that aren't available as sets. Does anyone have any tips for this or recommendations for varieties?
Thanks,
Laura
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Onions
Oct 27, 2016 11:41:16 GMT
Post by Stuart@AmericaLane on Oct 27, 2016 11:41:16 GMT
Hi Laura, I've dabbled with onions from seed but now days take the easy route with sets. I prefer the idea of growing from seed but you have to be well organised and i'm not always. What I would do is plant into modules. Just small ones such as 30 in a seed tray in a fine seed compost with vermiculite to cover. Do that from Feb under cover. I only have those little plastic greenhouses which are good enough. Then once they are good size seedlings with a few leaves and good roots I'll plant them out on the plot. I think the trick is to keep them undercover until the temperatures settle down in the spring, if they do. As it is the fluctuations between cold and warm that set them bolting.
One I did last year but bit late really was Zebrune. I got a few small ones but this year I'll start early to give them the best chance. Zebrune is somewhere between an onion and a shallot. The large banana shallot variety. They can get as big as a small onion. But they are far less prone to bolting and dont need such a long growing season so there is more chance of getting a decent crop.
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Onions
Oct 27, 2016 12:35:49 GMT
Post by Admin on Oct 27, 2016 12:35:49 GMT
Hi all, I'm considering growing onion from seed next year so I can grow more unusual varieties that aren't available as sets. Does anyone have any tips for this or recommendations for varieties? Thanks, Laura Thanks for your post Laura and welcome to the forum. Are you a new plotholder?
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laura
Clearing the weeds
Posts: 7
Allotment site: Outside Haywards Heath
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Onions
Oct 27, 2016 14:35:11 GMT
Post by laura on Oct 27, 2016 14:35:11 GMT
Thanks for the welcome and tips. I've had my plot in Burgess Hill for two years.
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Onions
Oct 27, 2016 15:27:01 GMT
Post by murrayc on Oct 27, 2016 15:27:01 GMT
Thanks for the welcome and tips. I've had my plot in Burgess Hill for two years. Great to hear from you Laura. Happy to share and compare allotment experiences in our two towns.
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bridgey
Clearing the weeds
Posts: 60
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Onions
Oct 28, 2016 16:20:23 GMT
Post by bridgey on Oct 28, 2016 16:20:23 GMT
sue Have you tried Arthur. One of the newer ones and a wonderful keeper. Easy to grow from seed,in seed trays. I also grow Bedfordshire champion from seed By sowing straight into the ground in the spring
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Onions
Oct 28, 2016 16:57:15 GMT
Post by wilbarra on Oct 28, 2016 16:57:15 GMT
hello laura grew shallots from seed for the first time a couple of years ago. and found they were more to our taste than onions. the seed is expensive but well worth the money. will be trying stuarts zebrune this year. one thing i have done for many years is to buy musselbugh leek seed sow the seed thickly, pull them when they are very young and use them in the same way one would pull and use spring onions.
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Onions
Nov 2, 2016 16:20:12 GMT
Post by wilbarra on Nov 2, 2016 16:20:12 GMT
just ordered some shallot seed from thompson and morgan called figaro. ordered four packets so should be more than enough for me wondering if you would like to try a packet stuart.? if so you can have a packet of mine. will drop them down to you. i will sow the rest into seed trays in the propagator at home should be more than enough for me so laura, if you want some of them to plant out next spring you are welcome.
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Onions
Nov 2, 2016 18:04:04 GMT
Post by Stuart@AmericaLane on Nov 2, 2016 18:04:04 GMT
Yes please I'd love to try some. In fact I will try to do a comparison. The figaro v the zebrune. Both are banana shallots so would be good to see how they turn out.
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Onions
Nov 3, 2016 6:40:21 GMT
Post by Admin on Nov 3, 2016 6:40:21 GMT
Wilbarra, I have moved your post and Stuart's reply into this thread, started by Laura, so that she may get an email alert of these postings and get to hear of your kind offer.
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laura
Clearing the weeds
Posts: 7
Allotment site: Outside Haywards Heath
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Onions
Nov 3, 2016 7:38:56 GMT
Post by laura on Nov 3, 2016 7:38:56 GMT
Yes please that would be lovely. Thank you for the offer Wilbarra.
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Onions
Nov 3, 2016 10:18:05 GMT
Post by wilbarra on Nov 3, 2016 10:18:05 GMT
HAPPY TO OBLIGE WILL RUN THEM OVER TO YOU WHEN THE TIME COMES
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