Onions from seed - 2019

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Aidy

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #15 on: February 26, 2019, 15:50 »
250 seeds tucked up in bed yesterday.
I have however decided on an experiment this year to see if it makes a difference to both germination and end product.
I have an article written by an amish chap sometime ago regarding pre-chitting seed. A few years ago I tried the carrot seed and it worked a treat, this year I have 10 onion and 10 leek seed pre-chitting as well.
In theory they should chit quicker than those in the seed tray + I know if they have of course so I end up transplanting only seed that is going to grow.
Will keep you informed.
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Aidy

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2019, 19:16 »
Update: seeds that were sown are just starting to push through, the seeds that I put for chitting are a country mile ahead, they had started to sprut within 4 days, I transplanted them to pots and within a week from starting them they were up!
Valuble lesson for next year, chit your seeds first  ;)

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Enfield Glen

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #17 on: March 19, 2019, 11:02 »
Planted mine in large plots rather than individual cells this year and so far they are looking much healthier than last year.

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #18 on: April 07, 2019, 10:25 »
I started in large pots but wasn't happy with the way my seedlings were going and transplanted to modules - 12 to a seed tray size.  Since then, they have been growing like crazy and yesterday, the biggest ones were literally bursting out of their modules.

There are only 28 of them, as they need full insect mesh cover on our site to prevent leaf miner damage, so I re-potted then into 9m pots.  I can't remember ever having to do this before, but the weather is still so variable, I'm not risking them on the plot just yet.  It was just a few onion seedling to play with over the dark months, but now I am hoping for some real monsters this year   :)
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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #19 on: June 16, 2019, 08:55 »
Mine have been out on the plot under their insect mesh cover and are really starting to motor now  :)
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cc

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #20 on: July 17, 2019, 13:29 »
Growing from seed is like watching cricket in slow motion.
How long from seedling to eatable? Anyone lived that long enough to know?

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #21 on: July 18, 2019, 08:32 »
Growing from seed is like watching cricket in slow motion.
How long from seedling to eatable? Anyone lived that long enough to know?

They are only slow at seedling stage and should be bulking up well by now.  They are usually fully mature and ready August/September - varies with the season and how early you sowed them. 

Mine are doing fine this year, but I have had to water them.  They need full insect mesh protection on our site to keep them leaf miner free, so I decided to grower fewer, but concentrate a bit harder on growing them well.  Seems to be working  :)
 
If you are having problems, you might need to be a bit more specific or add a picture to get some more detailed advice.

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #22 on: July 28, 2019, 15:04 »
The necks have started bending over on mine, but they have reached a good size.  Grubby paw in shot for scale  :)
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jaydig

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #23 on: July 28, 2019, 18:00 »
Mine are coming on really well now.  They are forming very nice 'bulbs', and look as if they are going to be quite a size.  I have noticed that, once again, a lot of my plot neighbours are experiencing bolting, but my seed grown ones seem, at the moment anyway, to be free from this problem. 

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sunshineband

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2019, 18:57 »
The necks have started bending over on mine, but they have reached a good size.  Grubby paw in shot for scale  :)

Mine are OK too, like yours New Shoot, just bowing down now but looking a good size. Much better than the set grown ones
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Twood

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #25 on: August 02, 2019, 23:45 »
my onions are also beginning to bend but I notice they are also developing flower heads. Should I leave a few more weeks or dig up now as the flower heads will use the last of the energy although I don't suppose the onions will grow much more in the coming' weeks??
Thanks
Twood
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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2019, 08:10 »
The flower heads need to be removed asap.  They won't grow much more now, but the next few weeks are when the leaves die back and the skins harden so you can store them.  You have been unlucky to get that happen.  Sets often bolt and flower, but seed grown onions usually don't.

Any that are trying to flower will need to be used first, as it does reduce the time they stay good in store. You could start harvesting those now for immediate use.   When you do use them, you might find they have a bit of a core to them that is the base of the flowering stem.  If it tough, I just pick this bit out and use the rest  :)

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Mr Dog

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #27 on: August 03, 2019, 08:51 »
I've had a few (4) produce flower heads too - 3 different varieties - which were pulled immediately on spotting and eaten.

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Twood

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #28 on: August 03, 2019, 11:01 »
Great New Shoot
Thanks for the tip. All the heads of the  flowering onions have been cut off. Only about 6 which isnt too bad considering the number of onions I put in. It appears to be the white ones Bedford Champion that are producing the flowers rather than the Red Baron.

So I need to wait for the leaves to die back before I lift out of the ground??. Some of the leaves are beginning to fall over now but none are beginning to die off. This has been a new experience this year
Thanks for the help
Twood

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New shoot

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Re: Onions from seed - 2019
« Reply #29 on: August 04, 2019, 08:19 »
Hi Twood.  It is the skin and the neck of the onion (where the bulb meets the leaves) that you need to get dry for them to store.  That's why ones that have tried to flower don't keep well - they have a flowering stem in the neck that is hard to get dried off enough.  As Mr Dog says, they are perfectly good eating, so pick them now if you want.

For the rest, wait until the leaves die back and then lift with the remains of the leaves on them.  Knock soil off the roots, but no need to trim at this stage.  Dry them further before final storage,  I use trays in my shed, but they don't have to be inside,just dry and with air moving round them.  The greenhouse is usually too hot for this. 

Once you are happy they are dry, you can use the dried leaves to plait them, or just remove them and store the onions in net sacks.  If you ask at the garden centre, loose autumn bulbs come in net sacks, so you might get some for free.  The daffs start arriving late august, so worth putting feelers out to see if they will save you the sacks when they tip the bulbs out for sale  :)



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