overwintering spring onions and bulb onions

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rowlandwells

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overwintering spring onions and bulb onions
« on: July 28, 2019, 12:37 »
I think I may have raised this topic before but hay hoe I'm asking for some advise once again prior to sowings because I have in the past raised my spring onions in pots in the greenhouse to overwinter so I thought why not try outdoor sowing in a frame down the allotments no pots no compost direct sowings


Q. what would be the best time for outdoor sowings to overwinter my spring onions

Q. when sowing would you suggest covering the frame with fine netting or a poly sheet till spring
Q. would you add a slow realease fertilizer when sowing or a spring top dressing

also i was considering sowing some bulbing onions outdoors the same way in a frame in rows then depending how they crop pull and replant in rows in the spring the varieties i will sow are Japanese varieties Element Senshyu and toughball the same as mentioned in a frame use slow realease fert or spring top dress again we grew these varieties in the greenhouse last year in pots

any advise on this new venture would be most appreciated RW


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sunshineband

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Re: overwintering spring onions and bulb onions
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2019, 19:10 »
I find it easier to multi-sow onions in modules and plant them out as a clump. For Spring Onions (and I use Winter White Lisbon usually) this means I have ready made "bunches" to pull when needed. I shall be making the next sowing this week, and these will be planted out as clumps in the unheated polytunnel, although before I had this I set them out under plastic cloches to give them protection from extreme weather and that worked perfectly well.

For full size onions, I am using Hi Keeper this year, (have used Toughball before and that was fine) and Senshyu Japanese  would be  suitable) multisowing as before but thinning down each clump to 3 or 4 onions at the end of the Winter, eating the thinnings as "spring onions"and letting  the rest grow on to make bulbs large enough to use as actual onion. Any still remaining in the clump by the end of JUne will dry off as onions grown overwinter from sets would. The bulbs force each other apart as they grow, and whilst they might not be totally spherical, or as large as individual seed-sown onions, they are quite good enough!

I do protect these from  pheasant predation with cloches, but they are hardy enough to grow without, I just prefer the leaves to not be eaten by these birds, and a little extra protection from the weather never goes amiss. Just remember to water them if there is no rain for a long time!

Sorry, forgot to mention fertiliser: Bllod, Fish & Bone in the soil a coule of weeks before planting out, but them nothing more untl growth starts again properly in the Spring as you donlt want them too soft. This year I then used Seaweed meal as that's what I had to hand but more BFB at the end of February would be fine, I fhtye look a little yellowish, then Epsom Salts ruffled into the top layer of soil is helpful
« Last Edit: July 28, 2019, 19:13 by sunshineband »
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