Onions from seed - 2018

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #30 on: January 10, 2018, 20:20 »
I bought my Globos from Sutton and sowed on 26th Dec but no sign of life yet despite greenhouse not dropping below 8C in that time
Leeks (Lincoln) likewise

Do I hang on? Do I start again?

What d'you reckon?
I thought they needed +10C  to germinate, so maybe not consistently warm enough?

I've just gone and checked my seed packet and it says 15-20C in a greenhouse or propagator.  It might be worth bringing them indoors for a few days to see if that starts them off.   Possibly the same for the leeks.  The seeds should not have rotted in that time.  They well be fine, but just going slower as its a bit cooler.

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #31 on: January 11, 2018, 09:09 »
OK. I'll give that a go. Thank you  :D
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arh

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #32 on: January 11, 2018, 09:15 »
On my "propagation chart" it reads 5+ days at 20c and 3 weeks+ at 10c, so I'd bring them in for a while, then put the back into the G/H when they are well on their way.

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #33 on: January 11, 2018, 13:09 »
On my "propagation chart" it reads 5+ days at 20c and 3 weeks+ at 10c, so I'd bring them in for a while, then put the back into the G/H when they are well on their way.

Thank you arh. They are now in at about 15C, so fingers crossed they wake up and show their elbows soon

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Dev

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #34 on: January 11, 2018, 13:14 »
Just sowed Bedfordshire Champion, Red Baron and Tosca onions and Zebrunne Shallots. Now on the windowsill in my room (spare bedroom). The first two I sowed with three seeds per module - it worked fine last year with onions happy to be so close together, and producing small to reasonable size bulbs which are easier for use in the kitchen. However, I do like to see some big ones, so I will prick out the Tosca into individual modules and see if I can produce some big 'uns. Never tried shallot seeds before so will be interested to see how they turn out.

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #35 on: January 12, 2018, 11:41 »
Never tried shallot seeds before so will be interested to see how they turn out.

They are pretty good usually.  You get 1 big shallot instead of a clump, but they are quite pricy to buy, so are worth growing.  Having 1 large bulb also makes for a lot less peeling  :)

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Dev

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #36 on: January 12, 2018, 17:55 »
Hi New Shoot. So if you save a few bigger individual shallots and plant as sets next year, do you get a clump like you do from planting purchased sets? Or do you let a few go to seed and then sow your saved seeds for individuals again?

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #37 on: January 12, 2018, 19:19 »
On my "propagation chart" it reads 5+ days at 20c and 3 weeks+ at 10c, so I'd bring them in for a while, then put the back into the G/H when they are well on their way.

Thank you arh. They are now in at about 15C, so fingers crossed they wake up and show their elbows soon

Leek elbows today so more optimistic about the onions  :D :D

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #38 on: January 13, 2018, 09:10 »
Hi New Shoot. So if you save a few bigger individual shallots and plant as sets next year, do you get a clump like you do from planting purchased sets? Or do you let a few go to seed and then sow your saved seeds for individuals again?

Hi Dev.  I think these type of shallots are more correctly described as a type of onion, rather than a true shallot.  As far as I know, they never clump.  If they are not F1, you could save seed.  Onions cross pollinate quite easily and I have chives and welsh onions around that I let flower for the bees, so I just buy a new pack  :)

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #39 on: January 13, 2018, 09:55 »
 :D :D :D

There is a nice neat row of pale green onion elbows this morning, so it looks like crisis is averted. Thank you for the excellent advice New Shoot and arh  :D :D

I'll give them time to all show themselves and they will be back to cooler conditions soon.

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AlaninCarlisle

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #40 on: January 13, 2018, 13:43 »
I have 3 trays of onion seeds all germinated in heated propagators. My plan is to put them into greenhouse next week (with gentle heat to maintain above freezing over night) until mid February following which I'll prick them out into individual cardboard pots and in April plant the pots out, half into open ground and half into a bed in polytunnel. I expect the ones in the polytunnel to do as last year and grow into huge beasts
« Last Edit: January 13, 2018, 13:53 by AlaninCarlisle »

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #41 on: January 13, 2018, 16:01 »
Alan, I am hoping to grow some of the "germinated today" onions in the polytunnel this year. How far apart did you plant your last year please, and did they have any different treatment to the ones outside? (aaprt from water of course)

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AlaninCarlisle

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #42 on: January 13, 2018, 19:45 »
Alan, I am hoping to grow some of the "germinated today" onions in the polytunnel this year. How far apart did you plant your last year please, and did they have any different treatment to the ones outside? (aaprt from water of course)
The soil in the polytunnel beds is probably quite a bit richer than outside as it gets tons of horse muck dug into it every autumn. Also, because it only gets the water it needs rather than the constant Cumbrian downpours, it probably gets less nutrients leached out of it.

To answer  the first part of your question, I plant them about 8 inches apart and feed them with Growmore

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #43 on: January 14, 2018, 09:46 »
Alan, I am hoping to grow some of the "germinated today" onions in the polytunnel this year. How far apart did you plant your last year please, and did they have any different treatment to the ones outside? (aaprt from water of course)
The soil in the polytunnel beds is probably quite a bit richer than outside as it gets tons of horse muck dug into it every autumn. Also, because it only gets the water it needs rather than the constant Cumbrian downpours, it probably gets less nutrients leached out of it.

To answer  the first part of your question, I plant them about 8 inches apart and feed them with Growmore

Thank you for that information Alan. The soil in our tunnel has hm compost dug in already, and I usually feed our onions with BFB plus some Magnesium sulphate, so I guess that should be OK. They were sown four inches apart in a  4ins deep tray, so I hope not to have to move them until it is time for planting in their final home end of March/early April depending on the weather. Sounds a long way off but time does seem to pass quite quickly these days  :lol:

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love-my-plot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2018
« Reply #44 on: January 18, 2018, 21:59 »
I sowed Ailsa Craig and Red Baron on 7th Jan... spare room, windowsill above radiator. Ailsa craig coming through but no sign of the reds yet. First time doing onion from seed..the new polytunnel isnt up yet so only have a mini plastic greenhouse till then...can I move them outside to that? It currently has various brassica I germinated indoors a week ago then moved them straight out. They seem to be growing well....but as I say, 1st time doing onions from seed so not sure about them.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2018, 22:00 by love-my-plot »



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