Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Flump on March 31, 2010, 09:02

Title: onion sets very wet!
Post by: Flump on March 31, 2010, 09:02

Hi all,I've never planted onion sets before .After the heavy rain I expected to go up to the allotment and see the onions just perched on top of the soil and ,indeed,some were!will they just rot in the soil if the rain carries on like this?

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: paintedlady on March 31, 2010, 10:44

you'll find the sets themselves are remarkably hardy.  I tend to find my troubles start when the bulbs are nearly fully formed and then have a month long of rain before I get the chance to lift them  :mad:  Some start to rot off quickly then  :(

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: Flump on March 31, 2010, 15:38

thanks.Is it normal to have the soil washed away by the rain or am I not planting them properly?

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: Goosegirl on March 31, 2010, 17:11

Can happen - but just add more soil around the bulb. As long as you don't leave any tags at the top of the bulb for the birds to pull out then you should be ok. Get them so that the top of the bulb is just showing.

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: Flump on March 31, 2010, 18:05

ok,thanks

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: plot6b on March 31, 2010, 20:32

Mine are fine but I have to keep an eye on the Birds who take delight on pulling them out

Title: Re: onion sets very wet!
Post by: blackbob on March 31, 2010, 20:49

Quote from: Flump on March 31, 2010, 09:02

Hi all,I've never planted onion sets before .After the heavy rain I expected to go up to the allotment and see the onions just perched on top of the soil and ,indeed,some were!will they just rot in the soil if the rain carries on like this?

just shove them back in a wee bit.they'll be ok,i dont plant out sets up here until the last week of April.
we can still get snow and severe night frosts right through till mid may.iv'e found that onion sets with more than 2" of growth can run to seed if a cold frosty spell is endured in the early days.
nice and steady does it.