[Kleftiwallah]

All 102 of them.  The first try since 2010 due to onion White rot.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed.  Now to my queary, would covering them with black plastic give them any help to grow until the leave s are showing?

Cheers,   Tony.

[snowdrops]

No I don't think it would, they don't really need any help. You don't want to force week sappy growth, you need sturdy plants to get through the winter, plus I think the slugs & snails would have a feast if you did

[Kleftiwallah]

Thanks for that informative reply snowdrops.  I only asked due to me covering the onion bed with sturdy mesh suspended a couple of inches above the sets to keep the local damned cats off!

Thanks and cheers,  Tony.

[heygrow]

Are you growing the Japanese onion sets Tony?
I grew Senshyu and a red one that I cannot rember the name. They grew well and very large this year. A couple bolted, but most did ok. They are very strong in flovour. I was thinking of going back to growing spring planting sets next year, partly due to space and time. I was wondering what your reason was for over wintering ones against spring.... pros and cons?

[sunshineband]

I think the best growth at this time in the year is what is going on under the ground, Tony. A net to keep the cats off is a good idea though. Hope the white rot has passed on by now.

I like the overwintering ones as they are ready long before our maincrop Spring sets or seeds, heygrow.

[finleyfreyaseth]

ive had 150 in for three weeks now they about inch high now, ill also do 200 in the spring , I don't think theirs a lot of difference but its good to see something growing in the autumn, a bit of something t look forward to.

[New shoot]

but its good to see something growing in the autumn, a bit of something t look forward to.

I can relate to that    I've got sets on order and some seedlings as well (50p seed sale bargain).  I've never grown them for seed before, so this is just an experiment to see if they out perform the sets, like spring sown ones do.

They are also a tasty hungry gap crop if pulled as 'green onions'.  This is the stage when they start to bulk up but aren't really ready, like hefty spring onions.   

I roast or braise them, or they can be stir-fried if you cover the wok and leave them to steam a bit as well as fry.  You always get a proportion of really tiny sets, so I put these aside and sow them in a block together for use like this 

[Kleftiwallah]

Are you growing the Japanese onion sets Tony? Yes Senshyu.  If the white rot zaps them this year, I have a cunning plan...

Cheers,  Tony.