Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: toptonk on February 14, 2007, 19:41

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: toptonk on February 14, 2007, 19:41

Hi everyone just finishing my first year in my allotment, really caught the gardening bug ,all my mates taking the mick. :? Anyway i was talking to some of the older hands on the plot trying to exract as much information as posible without trying to look totally clueless but got conflicting reports on the subject of what is the better way of growing onions.I would have to say sets must be easier because of the lack of effort compered to sowing and thining and transplanting the seeds any ideas on what you think. :tongue2:  :tongue2:

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: shaun on February 14, 2007, 19:45

hi there
sets are easier by far your right but saying that i'm doing both just out of curiosity realy as i want to grow big ones from seed

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: beansticks on February 14, 2007, 19:47

Hi toptonk,i have always found sets easier though the choice of variety is somewhat limited,however this year i am trying seed as well,sowed The Kelsae late december.welcome,where in the rhondda are you?

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: toptonk on February 14, 2007, 19:51

sunny pontygwaith.

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: beansticks on February 14, 2007, 19:53

I dont mean to be ignorant but where is it near,cant say i have heard of it before.

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: toptonk on February 14, 2007, 19:59

Its about 2miles further up the valley from porth,next to Tylorstown,how about yourself.

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: ytyynycefn on February 14, 2007, 20:22

Hi Toptonk, welcome to the forum!  I'm in the Rhondda Fawr, in Ystrad, so we probably have similar weather and soil.

I grew onions from sets last year, and they did pretty well.  The seeds I sowed didn't come to much, so I'm just using sets this year.  Although last season was my first, so it may have been down to me rather than the seeds  :lol:

I planted some sets in the autumn for summer use, and I've got some on order to plant this spring for storage over winter.  My littlun likes planting "little onions", so that kind of swung it for us!

The old boys round here prefer seeds, but I think that may just be because that's the way they've always done it.  They think I'm a bit odd because I grow things other than runner beans and sprouts  :wink:

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: muntjac on February 14, 2007, 20:29

save ya self some sets n stick em in pots in ya greenhouse over winter  :wink:  fleece em if its gonna frost

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: toptonk on February 14, 2007, 20:34

Its the same over here its like a who can grow the most runners competition,not one grows broccoli or cauliflowers. :roll: So my goal this year is to grow a nice crop of each,but i have been told how difficult they are.Ive got a couple of diffirent varietys of each and just trying to get them started in my shed at the moment. :roll:

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: GrannieAnnie on February 14, 2007, 23:06

When I got back to gardening in earnest 4 years ago, my onions from sed didn't do well at all, so since then I've grown sets, but like a few of the others on here, this year I'm doing both, to see if I can get a better crop out of the seeds!!!

Also going to try some in the polytunnel to see how they do.

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: beansticks on February 15, 2007, 17:16

Hi TOPTONK,sorry for the delay,know where you are now,i am in newbridge about 8 miles north of caerphilly.

Title: onion seeds or onion sets!
Post by: yummy on February 15, 2007, 17:24

I was at Ryton garden yesterday and bought some sets. 50 Turbo and 50 Red Baron = 72p! Hope I don't kill them off  8)

My family were from Rhonda (my gran and grandad) one lived in Porth and one in Neath. In the 50's they moved to the Midlands to get work - hence I never lived in Wales myself.