[New shoot]

Just seeing the white hooped tops of the Rossa di Toscana red onions I sowed on 18th Feb breaking through the compost.

They are sown in pinches in modules, as I want clumps of smaller onions, and it looks like a decent germination rate 

[Totty]

Finished the final potting on of the big uns yesterday. Have thinned them from 45 to 20 and they are in 1.5 litre pots, 1 part riddled soil from onion bed, 1 part Levington m3, 1 part Levington m2 and one part fine vermiculite.
Leeks to follow next week.

Totty

[al78]

At what stage in development should I start hardening off onion seedlings. Mine are about three inches high and are sprouting their second set of leaves. They were started in the second week of February.

Additionally, I have three to a module at the moment. At what point should I thin them out and re-pot them?

[Annen]

My seedlings have got to the 3 leaf stage.  Will they be okay in these cells until ready to plant out?  I can't face the thought of potting on 40 odd plants into 3" pots, quite apart from the space taken up.
If I fed them will they be okay where they are for a bit longer?

[crh75]

I have left them in similar sized trays until planting time in previous years and had a good crop.

[Totty]

You can put the modules on top of a tray of nice fine compost. Let them root into that. The finer the compost is, the easier it will be to retrieve as much root as possible when you plant them out.

Totty

[Annen]

Thanks Totty, that sounds like a good plan!

[Eightball]

When can onions started from seed be transplanted outside? I started in early Feb. Should I wait till next month and see what the weather is like? what kinda temps will they tolerate?

[Totty]

You need to wait until the temps are more stable. They won't die if planted out before the last frost, but they will bolt.

Totty

[Eightball]

hmmm ok. When is the weather ever stable in this country though lol.

[Salmo]

They want at least 3 leaves before planting out. They will happily sit there for a week or two. Mid April onwards is when mine usually go out. If the weather is nasty they are better in their modules.

[CDave]

Quick update from me.

At the beginning of January I started off Alisa Craig (AC) and Bedfordshire Champion (BS) in trays - in a propagator on a windowsill. They did "ok" and were transplanted into individual modules on 20th January. On 8th Feb these went into an unheated polytunnel in an internal section with bubble wrap protection. How I hated transplanting though!

On 28 January I started off - maybe 25-30 AC and BS seeds in an 8 inch pot. Again, with heat, in a propagator. These went into the unheated polytunnel (treated the same as the individual cell grown plants) on 15/2.

The best plants by far are those that were sown in the 8" pots and were not transplanted. They are thicker, greener and have more leaves. Of course, I don't yet know how any of the plants will fare in the open ground, but so far, those planted together in the pots are well ahead. In terms of effort, these were so much easier too. When it comes to transplanting - after hardening off, I plan to was the soil off the roots to untangle them - so I don't envisage that separating the plants will be a problem.

I'll take some pics at the weekend to show you the difference but in the meantime thought it would be worthwhile sharing my experiences so far.

How's everyone else's plants coming along?
     

[Totty]

Great update CDave. Mine have been under lights up until this week. They are now planted out in the final positions along with some leeks. So long as they don't all bolt, I should have some beauty's by mid august.

Totty

[CDave]

Great update CDave. Mine have been under lights up until this week. They are now planted out in the final positions along with some leeks. So long as they don't all bolt, I should have some beauty's by mid august.

Totty

Hi Totty - a couple of questions if I may (that should help me) - How many leaves do yours have and, did you harden them off outside? Here's wishing you a bumper crop! Dave

[Totty]

There was no need to harden them as they are planted in the border of the heated greenhouse they have been growing in. They have been in five inch pots for a while but the roots were wrapping around the bottom of the pots so needed potting on.
I think, without looking they have seven or eight leaves, some well over two foot long.

For the storing onions, they are in a cold greenhouse at the moment, they have about three maybe four leaves and will get hardened off around the middle of April to be planted out around the end of the month.

Totty