[Elaine G]

This year I lost a lot of my onoin crop and some garlic to white rot. The same happened last year.
I have an 8x4 bed that I am clearing strawberries from. If I top up the bed with compost and manure will it be safe to plant the onoins there, or does the fact that it has been dug over with my fork mean that the rot may have already transferred across?
If so I guess I will have to give up with onions and garlic.

Thanks

Elaine

[fatcat1955]

White rot can persist in the soil for up to 18 years, so i think it would be best if you gave up on onions, sorry.

[Elaine G]

Oh bum!

Thought that might be the answer but thanks anyway.

Elaine

[Zippy]

I don't agree. If you divide your plot into four with each quarter divided by two to give eight beds you can limit your onions to one bed every eight years and this should be sufficient gap to avoid most white rot build up.

That's 2 beds for potatoes, followed by 2 beds for beans and sweetcorn, then two beds with one for onions and one for brassica, finally two beds for miscellaneous/roots, then manure heavily in year four before going back to potatoes. In the first four year rotation put the onions in bed a) of the pair and in the second four year rotation put them in bed b) of the pair. That way, onions work their way round your plot every eight years.

And write down where they've been each year so you don't (and you will) forget.

Hope this helps.

[Yorkie]

In addition to the above suggestions by Zippy, you will (as you mentioned) have to be scrupulous about hygiene and the transfer of pathogens from one part of the plot to the rest through footwear or tools.

[Elaine G]

Thanks for all your replies.
The onions and garlic have been grown in different beds from each other for the last 3 years, and ther has been rot on some of them for the past 2 years. The garlic is less affected but thats 6 different beds so far. The lady on the next plot also has the same problem so the prospects are not good. Even with fresh soil the practicalities of weeding etc with clean tools and gloves will be onerous so I may well give them a miss next year.

Thanks

Elaine