[zestymordant]

Hi,

I planted some Stuttgarter onions, I started on 17th March. I just found out they take 85 days to mature but mine's been growing for 109 days now and look nowhere big enough.

I also read today that "An onion is done growing when the green tops lose their color and bend over". The tops have bent over a lot, don't know about losing colour though, I'll have to check.

Is it okay if I leave the onions for a while?

[mattwragg94]

im growing stuttgarter too (picked up the wrong type - not my fault they where in the sturon basket  ) anyway mine are taking a while to fatten up too, but they have started to now - the 85 days growing time is only and estimate. I usually plant my onions in march and harvest in mid august.

[zestymordant]

im growing stuttgarter too (picked up the wrong type - not my fault they where in the sturon basket  ) anyway mine are taking a while to fatten up too, but they have started to now - the 85 days growing time is only and estimate. I usually plant my onions in march and harvest in mid august.

Thanks. Are sturon better? You don't seem a fan of stuttgarter!

[Aunt Sally]

Don't worry about it zestymordant.

Onions "grow" as the days get longer.  Then on that magic day - the shortest day - they stop growing and start to mature by storing food in their bulb.

In short - they will start to fatten up after June 21st.

[shokkyy]

I'm growing 4 varieties of onion this year, which were seeds sown back in February, and the only ones showing real signs of bulbing up right now are the little Silverskins.

[mattwragg94]

Thanks. Are sturon better? You don't seem a fan of stuttgarter!

well it doesn't realy matter - but generally its between sturon and stuttgarter for me - its just that this year i decided that i wanted to grow sturon, but i picked up the wrong bag, so i was annoyed with myself

[Alastair-I]

I've got Stutgarter and Sturon, they're both starting to fatten now.. but I wouldn't expect them to be maturing just yet.  I'd like to think there will be at least a hint of summer to get some sugar in them.

[mickthecactus]

I'm pretty disappointed with the autumn Japanese sets. Not great at all and spring planted onion sets are much better. Not convinced that autumn sowing is really worthwhile.

[LilacSandy]

I'm pretty disappointed with the autumn Japanese sets. Not great at all and spring planted onion sets are much better. Not convinced that autumn sowing is really worthwhile.

I always use my autumn sets from May onwards to fill the gap before the spring sets are ready to pull, mine were going great guns but this last month the wet has finally got to them and they are full of rust.  I will be pulling the remainder of them this week, the larger ones will be dried and will keep until August and the rest will be frozen for use in stews etc.,

[A Reyt Tayty]

My sturon sets aren't doing much. Lots ot tops, but not much sign of any onions! I did some bedfordshire champion from seed. I might as well have sat in the garden and chucked muck at myself.

[Salmo]

My sturon sets aren't doing much. Lots ot tops, but not much sign of any onions! I did some bedfordshire champion from seed. I might as well have sat in the garden and chucked muck at myself.

A little patience is needed. Spring planted sets have at least another month to do things. Onions from seed always seem be be behind sets but eventually catch up and usually overtake.

[mickthecactus]

Do you think onions from seed are better than from sets?

[BabbyAnn]

Are sturon better?

I've grown Stuttgarter and Sturon - have to say I prefer Sturon as typical round brown skinned onions that store very well.  I found Stuttgarter was more flattened and from a culinary point of view when "topping and tailing", they were more fiddly but taste-wise were fine.

Do you think onions from seed are better than from sets?

There isn't really much difference.  To get a decent size bulb though, you need to start the seed off a little earlier than you would normally be thinking of sowing, and my experience is that they seem to stay at seedling stage for so long that I get a little impatient.  Sets are straight forward - from late March/mid April, you just plant out on the plot and forget about them apart from weeding.

Pros and cons - there are hundreds of different varieties of onions you can grow from seed, but varieties sold as sets are very limited.  I try to grow some onions from seeds but sets are my "back up" plan just in case it goes horribly wrong.