[wilbzfishing]

I planted my over wintering onions 3rd week in October, I was just wondering if I have planted them to early as they seem to have loads of growth on them, and can't remember this from previous years

[Madame Cholet]

No you are fine, mine have lotsof green on them before the winter the cold will slow them down.

[NickoV]

It seems the soil has stayed well warm on our plot this autumn and stuff has carried on/started growing alot more than in recent, previous years.

Nick

[goodtogrow]

The point the op makes is that our 'over winter' starts in autumn and continues into spring.

The growth that they make early on is from the reserves held in the bulbs - No?  Soil temperatures still favour growth but light levels don't.  When winter proper kicks in everything works against them, so they stand still, until we round the corner after December 21, and temperatures start to move upwards, which could be much later.

Over-wintering for me starts on 21 December.  It's a rollercoaster.   Growth achieved before then has the wettest, coldest time  to endure.  Better to make no growth at all, because it's difficult to see what the gain is.

Those who haven't lost over-wintering  subjects to a hard winter have that pleasure to look forward to.  Over-wintering is a game of chance.  It depends on the weather.

[sunshineband]

Autumn planted onion sets mainly make a good root system before growth slows due to the cold. Top growth is usually very hardy.

This year the growth on mine is around four inches tall. Some years it has been six, some year only one. All have been OK come the Spring

[compostqueen]

I always grow onions over winter. I grow different varieties in an effort to get as many through as poss.  You can never have too many can you    I love to see fresh green growth in the depths of winter. Such a promise of good things to come

[Madame Cholet]

I always grow onions over winter. I grow different varieties in an effort to get as many through as poss.  You can never have too many can you    I love to see fresh green growth in the depths of winter. Such a promise of good things to come

I agree nice to have onions in June fresh out of the ground. mine have doen well thelast 2 years despite the cold weather.

[gavinjconway]

I always start pulling mine as green onions on 1st May every year - see pic below.. By mid June when the maincrop are ready as green onions the winter ones are about finished..

[barley]

my onion sets arrived today

thought I might plant them in loo roll tubes in cold frame

hopefully they will form roots so when I plant them out in early spring the voles won't keep pulling them up 

[wilbzfishing]

Thank you for all the replies they have been very helpful, I have always had more success with the onions that I plant before winter than the spring ones as find the later planted ones go to seed.  It's just I can never recall seeing that much growth