Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: freefolk on March 02, 2018, 12:07

Title: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: freefolk on March 02, 2018, 12:07
Following the recent snow here in Hampshire, my over wintering onions (and garlic) are blanketed in snow.  Not sure if this will insulate them and do them no harm, or kill them off!  On the other side, where the snow is laid on the plastic sheet on my raised beds, it should be warming the soil nicely I think!
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: New shoot on March 02, 2018, 13:41
The snow should insulate them from the worst of the frost.  Garlic is very hardy and will come through with no problem.  Onions are a bit softer. but not much.  You may lose the odd one, but if they have rooted and put out shoots, they should be fine  :)
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: freefolk on March 02, 2018, 15:06
They are well rooted and shoots getting on 9"-12" already.
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: New shoot on March 02, 2018, 15:45
Fingers crossed then.  If they are not well rooted, they can just rot and disappear into the soil, but yours sound OK.  I usually give mine a feed after the worst of the winter to get them going again, so they will be getting pelleted chicken manure in a week or so.

I think the main pain about this weather is that it is providing a real check to their growth, after a relatively mild winter down here in the south.  If we get a warm spell they will no doubt set off bolting  ::)  I harvest a lot of them as giant spring onions anyway, but it may the whole lot this year.
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: freefolk on March 02, 2018, 18:34
Thank you for the tip about the feeding, I will remember that one.
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: sunshineband on March 02, 2018, 19:17
Lots of snow over your way. Grandchildren went sledging down the field next to Bere Mill today, along with lots of others... did you go?
Title: Re: Overwintering onions and garlic!
Post by: freefolk on March 05, 2018, 18:10
No, unfortunately not....struggled trying to get the wife to work! :lol: :lol: :lol: