[New shoot]

Well people were interested, so these new posts are now split off into a 2015 thread.  Link to the 2014 thread here, if anyone wants to read about the exploits of the onion club this season 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=111632.0

[Kristen]

Rather boringly I have grown the same varieties for the last several years

I have sown Alisa Craig at the beginning of January and then Kalmat and Sweet Spanish Yellow in mid February.  I have no idea why I sow them later, probably because when I first sowed them that was what the packet said and having put that in my sowing schedule its stayed ever since.

Should I start them all off on the same, earlier, date?

[Kristen]

Sorry, another thing I wanted to mention / ask.

In the past I have pricked out, at crook-stage, to small modules - they are about 1" square and not much deeper. When I plant out the roots are a mass like a coiled spring.  I've been wondering about using cut lengths of Blue MDPE pipe instead of modules as I think it would make pricking out easier for me; I germinate a lot of ornamental seed, often 5 or less seeds / seedlings, and module trays of mixed plants all growing at different speeds, and then needing potting on at different times leaving behind half-used trays wasting bench space.  Using lengths of pipe instead would mean I could easy reorganise the seedlings bench, and accommodate any random number of seedlings of each variety.

My inclination is to provide a much taller "pot" for my seedling onions, although I've always grown good Onions - after straightening out the coiled-spring of roots and arranging  them "vertically" when I planted out. Do you think a "tall-pipe" pot, instead of a small module, is likely to make any difference? Any perceived snags using pipe-pieces rather than modules?

[surbie100]

Wouldn't that just be mind-bendingly fiddly? Modules are made of flexi-plastic and MDPE pipe is rigid.

My vote is you try it and let us know how you get on...  

[cadalot]

OK I went way over the top with the 50p seed sale and I have (from my seed list)

Red Baron – 12/2015 -175 seeds  - Thompson & Morgan – Wyevale 50p
Stuttgarter Riesin – 12/2015 – Lidl

Alisa Craig -– 6/2016 – Suttons -250 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Bedfordshire Champion -- 6/2016 – Suttons -250 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Globo  the Giant Onion -- 6/2016 – Suttons -220 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Hytrch F1 -– 6/2016 – Suttons -195 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Kamal F1 – 6/2016 – Suttons -220 seeds - Wyevale 50p
North Holland Blood Red Redmate– 6/2016 – Suttons -300 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Santero F1 – 6/2016 – Suttons -150 seeds - Wyevale 50p

So the plan is to use the 2015 seeds first and then some of the 2016 seeds and if they don't come up I have plenty of seed to try again. My biggest problem is the wife! and getting seed's indoors so I may have to do this as a growhouse inside the greenhouse and wait until the end of January 

[New shoot]

OK I went way over the top with the 50p seed sale 

Its OK - you are amongst fellow seedaholics so we understand 

[mumofstig]

Too true   

[cadalot]

Thanks for the support on the seed front.

Now the problem is that the window sills are littered with ornaments and Mrs Cadalot has new nets, men are not allowed to open and close windows or draw curtains come to that, because doing it correctly is beyond the average male or even me according to she who shall be obeyed.

So any other thoughts/ bright ideas apart from the grow house in the green house and leaving it until late Jan / early Feb ?

[surbie100]

Hide the seed tray under the bed till they have germinated, then do your best wounded puppy look and see if that gets round her... and put them in the kitchen/utility window - surely that's not netted too?

[cadalot]

Worse - Netted patio doors, I was lucky and got away with having chitting potatoes behind it last year 

[AnneB]

Let us know how you get on with the Roscoff AnneB as I tried these 2 years running and they failed to germinate. I notice the supplier, Robinsons no longer list them so maybe they had problems with them.

Here's hoping for more success!  I am getting my seeds from Thomas Etty.   I tried the Rouge Pale de Niort three years ago and got nil germination from them.   I will sow the rest of the packet this year and see if anything happens.   I hope it isn't an issue with pink French onions in the UK.  We will see.

[Kristen]

My vote is you try it and let us know how you get on...

I'm sure that's the right answer too

Wouldn't that just be mind-bendingly fiddly? Modules are made of flexi-plastic and MDPE pipe is rigid.

I'm very unsure about modules.  Generally I grow-on into 9cm pots and then plant out, they give me a plant of a decent size that can hold for a week or two if spare-time / foul-weather delay me.  They fit neatly into a hole made by a long handled bulb planter, so are quick to knock-out and bung-in.

Many years ago I pricked out direct to 9cm, but I had losses which i think were probably due to over-potting and the plants having too much water.  Takes up a lot of bench space, early on, too.

So then I pricked out to 1" square modules, and potted on to 9cm. That works much better, except for aforementioned issue with half-potted-on trays wasting bench space.  I fairly hate the flexibility of the flimsy modules too, huge amounts of root disturbance during potting on getting the seedlings out of the modules and normally the modules are wrecked too and I dislike the wastage of use-once-an-throw. Trying to be gentle when getting the seedlings out of flimsy modules resulted in a lot of time consumed (I grow thousands of plants from seed each year, so productivity is an issue I consider).  I bought modules made from more rigid plastic last year, they have a 1/2" hole in the bottom and easy to push out a plug, whole, with the blunt end of a pencil.  Much better, but the trays are huge (48 cells I think) so even more varieties-per-tray and wasted space with half-full modules after some potting on.  I, now, reckon that they only suit nurserymen raising large quantities of plants who will have full trays of single varieties.

Filling the trays is OK-ish - chuck some compost on, level out, walk my fingers along the rows compressing lightly which finds any that have air pockets, top up and level off again and then ready for pricking out.

Filling individual pipe-segments may be a nightmare by comparison.

I am guessing??, experiment pending!, that I can push out pipe with a dowel of suitable diameter.  I was expecting to use same diameter pipe for all, but maybe some taller than others (Alliums particularly). The one thought that bothers me is that modules / pots are tapered and pipe with be straight sided.  They won't stack (I can live with that) but maybe it will make pushing-out harder / more root damage??  Need a test to discover that.

[jaydig]

OK I went way over the top with the 50p seed sale and I have (from my seed list)

Red Baron – 12/2015 -175 seeds  - Thompson & Morgan – Wyevale 50p
Stuttgarter Riesin – 12/2015 – Lidl

Alisa Craig -– 6/2016 – Suttons -250 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Bedfordshire Champion -- 6/2016 – Suttons -250 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Globo  the Giant Onion -- 6/2016 – Suttons -220 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Hytrch F1 -– 6/2016 – Suttons -195 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Kamal F1 – 6/2016 – Suttons -220 seeds - Wyevale 50p
North Holland Blood Red Redmate– 6/2016 – Suttons -300 seeds - Wyevale 50p
Santero F1 – 6/2016 – Suttons -150 seeds - Wyevale 50p

So the plan is to use the 2015 seeds first and then some of the 2016 seeds and if they don't come up I have plenty of seed to try again. My biggest problem is the wife! and getting seed's indoors so I may have to do this as a growhouse inside the greenhouse and wait until the end of January

I always grow Santero - it's a brilliant onion - large, tasty and a really good keeper.

[cadalot]

Kirsten - What about buying a tray like the type shown below but cutting them up into smaller sizes to fit standard trays and half trays?

Jaydig - I may go for a few of each and trial them but recommendations duly noted and appreciated, it's good to have feedback from others that have grown them before. 

[Kristen]

What about buying a tray like the type shown below but cutting them up into smaller sizes to fit standard trays and half trays?

Would be worth a half-and-half test with my Pipes (and a Control I suppose) ... where is a bevy of Horticultural Students needing course work projects when you want them?!