Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: jambop on December 12, 2016, 08:49

Title: onions from seed
Post by: jambop on December 12, 2016, 08:49

Hi All
Last year I grew my first shallots from seed, zebrune, and they were very successful. This coming year I intend to grow my onions from seed also, I have selected a variety called golden bear which is an F1. I normally get my onions a transplants from the local market and they are great value at €6 for 100 really sturdy plants, however I find that they come ready too early, August, and therefore storage is started too early and they are starting to soften and grow in the early springtime. I want to start storage about the end of September mid October. My question is should I start the onions off at the same time as the shallots ? I started my shallots off at the end of February this year and they grew really well as normally we get a long growing season down here good weather stretches right out into October so there is time to get them nice and dry for storage. I can get another type of onion from the market which is a great filler for onions between the stored onions being finished and the new seasons onions coming into season called Trebons onions they are amazing and can be used at anytime of their growth cycle... but they do not store well so they are just finished as the new ones come in... so oinions all year round ! :)

Title: Re: onions from seed
Post by: AussieInFrance on December 12, 2016, 19:22

Hi Jambop

Last year i started them all at the same time, with the exception of Trebons because they appeared quite late at the market (thanks for the tip btw). This year i'm already underway with onions and shallots, started simultaneously. Some trays of other varieties to plant out and a few yet to sow the seed.

Bon jardinage!

Title: Re: onions from seed
Post by: jambop on December 13, 2016, 09:09

Wow Aussie you get started early ! I am doing the exact opposite  :)  I want the onions to come ready just a little bit later so they store longer into the next year. I grow very little over the winter months because normally we get a huge amount of rain an the garden gets very boggy but next year I am going to try a drainage system and some winter veg to see how it does.