[jambop]

Hi this is my first post and is a question that has been bugging me for a few weeks now. I like to grow a good load of onions for the winter and last year was very disappointed with my crop... not the onions when they were lifted but the did not store well in fact they were very bad. I noticed that they rotted in a strange way only one ring of all the onions that rotted way was affected! Anyway I grew those from sets and I think the sets were duff this year I also grew from sets. Next year I am growing purely from F1 seed as I have had much better onions this way. My question is though is it ok to manure the ground you are going to grow onions on? I have seen articles that states that onions grown on manured ground tend to go soft and rot and others that say manure the ground in the autumn. What is the truth behind preparing an onion bed for kitchen crops ? I can get as much manure as I want for nothing I don't want to over do it but the ground is very heavy and I think adding manure will help asoo being I France it gets very dry in the summer it may also help retain some moisture.

[fatbelly]

Hi I have grown & stored great Onions each year for the past 7 years.
The only year my Onions didn't store was when I cut off the Foliage & Roots soon after harvesting, they all rotted within 2 months because I didn't allow them to dry out correctly.

Drying out your Onions for storage is Crucial to keeping them throughout the Winter.

As regards Manure on your Soil providing its rotted down it will only do good for your Soil.

Personally I think Sets are far better than seed for Onions.

[jambop]

Thanks for the reply. I can get lots of manure so will apply it now for next year. I personally prefer seed for onions manly because you know it will be free from diseases. I find also that because of the long growing season here there is no problem getting them away and grown to a good size and dried for storage.

[gavinjconway]

Are you talking about growing winter onions or your summer crop.. Winter onions do not store well and are just a filler crop till your main summer crop is ready.

I do a 4" layer of fresh stable manure mixed with shavings and sometimes grass.. I have done this for years with great results and have been self sufficient in onions for years - so they do keep well! Sometimes I add it and dig in the autumn and sometimes do it a week before or on the day that I plant the sets or seedlings.

I used to grow in tubs on my flat roof and now in my allotment.