[stompy]

When is it best to plant onion sets direct outdoors?

I have some old flourecent light difusers that im going to use as long thin minni cloches and i wondered if it would be ok to plant the sets out under them this weekend?

The forecast for our part of the country is minimum 2dgr's over night on saturday night!
Will they withstand these low tempratures and begin growing?

Thanks Andy

[gobs]

No, don't move! Blizzards and such.

More like March-April. Around Hull, probably Yorkie is your man, wait for him, it will be worth it, anyway.

[stompy]

Hmmmmm, i might have to put them in the fridge then to stop them from sprouting.

I've had them 2 weeks now and got a feeling they're going to start growing, they are stored in a cupboard in the kitchen at the moment 

[gobs]

You don't need the fridge, necessarily, just somewhere cooler. Don't get them frozen though.

[Fisherman]

Don't worry about getting them in too soon. Better to wait until the ground has warmed up a bit and is in good condition i.e. mid March to mid April. Just store them in cool darkish place and they will be fine.

[aelf]

Most plants are dormant below 5 degrees Celcius and don't really take off until average temps over several days are much higher. As others have said, I would store them somewhere cool and dark for now.

[stompy]

Ok,
In a box in the shed it is.

Thanks guys

[JayG]

More like March-April. Around Hull, probably Yorkie is your man, wait for him, it will be worth it, anyway.

Yorkie will probably be a rather grumpy GIRL when she reads that (unless she has undergone a rather uncommon operation that we don't know about!) 

[gobs]

More like March-April. Around Hull, probably Yorkie is your man, wait for him, it will be worth it, anyway.

Yorkie will probably be a rather grumpy GIRL when she reads that (unless she has undergone a rather uncommon operation that we don't know about!) 

SHE is the man of onions up there.

[Fisherman]

More like March-April. Around Hull, probably Yorkie is your man, wait for him, it will be worth it, anyway.

Yorkie will probably be a rather grumpy GIRL when she reads that (unless she has undergone a rather uncommon operation that we don't know about!) 

SHE is the man of onions up there.

She looked like a young lady last time I saw her on here hugging her parsnip. Hope she's not gone and done anything rash.


Edited to make quote work correctly

[Yorkie]

 

Indeed, I is a laydee and very happy to be called young 

My diary from last year shows that I sowed my onion sets in small modules at the start of March.  I think they were in a small plastic 4-tier greenhouse so hardly protected at all.

I planted them out in the soil in early April, about 4-5 weeks later (after the scaffolders and builder had removed their things from the front garden!)

[DD.]

14th March last year, straight in, no messing.

Excellent crop, but the ones from seed (The Kelsae) were more excellenter.

[leeks r us]

1st march every year without fail, straight in the ground fantastic onions every year using sturon sets. 

[Christine]

We is a bit further north than Stompy and reckon that second week of March is about right but I have succeeded with planting the first week of March. Mind we haven't had snow afterwards the last few years. 

[DD.]

1st march every year without fail, straight in the ground fantastic onions every year using sturon sets. 

What if it's chucking it down, or the ground is frozen solid?