[jambop]

Just thinned out 312 into 1" modules     next year I am going to try starting them off in 1" modules  still have a shed load of seedling should anything not grow.

[New shoot]

312     

I thought I was bad with allium seedlings, as I find it really hard to bin any, but that sure is a lot of onions 

[Gellideg]

Hi Jambob.I was about to sow my Santero onion seeds instead of sets this year.If I were to put 2 in each 1inch cell to thin one out,then I would be hoping to plant out in early May or late April.Would you suggest repotting them into something bigger than 1 inch cells when they become too large for the original cells or leave them alone and feed them on?  John.

[Salmo]

The technique I use is to sow 4/5 seeds per module and then plant each module out at 12 inch spacings along the row. They will grow happily in bunches and push each other apart. Hoeing is easy. I usually thin to 3 per station and use the thinning as scallions.

[sunshineband]

The technique I use is to sow 4/5 seeds per module and then plant each module out at 12 inch spacings along the row. They will grow happily in bunches and push each other apart. Hoeing is easy. I usually thin to 3 per station and use the thinning as scallions.

This works really well: I was surprised how well tbh

[jambop]

Hi Jambob.I was about to sow my Santero onion seeds instead of sets this year.If I were to put 2 in each 1inch cell to thin one out,then I would be hoping to plant out in early May or late April.Would you suggest repotting them into something bigger than 1 inch cells when they become too large for the original cells or leave them alone and feed them on?  John.

I started my seeds off in a seed tray last year and then thinned them out into 1" modules which are part of a tray of 104 cells. They grew very well and the finished product was some lovely onions which kept well. The problem for me at least is that if you start them in the fashion you suggest, and there is nothing wrong with it, you do need quite a large area of propagator whereas a seed tray is a much smaller area. Another way to do them is take a large deep pot fill with compost and then sow the seeds germinate them and just let them grow on until the are ready to be transplanted into he ground. When you want to transplant them carefully remove all the plants from the pot and wash the compost off the roots with a hose then transplant using a dibber. This method works much better than it sounds believe me you just have to remember to keep watering them while they are growing on. They look crowded but the make really good transplants and you can grow them on until the are really quite large just make sure you use a large diameter pot to start with.

312     

I thought I was bad with allium seedlings, as I find it really hard to bin any, but that sure is a lot of onions 

Yes quite a lot but there are four different onions two are shallot like Zebrune and long Florence the other two are round Golden bear and Red Amposte I have plenty of room and can give some away to friends but I do like a well grown onion 

[TheWhiteRabbit]

Funnily enough I'm going to try the 4/5 in a group approach this year. Last year the onions were very large and, to be honest, we don't really need onions that large! So more smaller onions would be actually more useful.

[Gellideg]

Hi Jambop.Thankyou for your detailed reply.I agree with the space issue.I have two 10x8 gr/houses,but plenty more to take the space up,ie 100 Geranium cuttings in 5 inch pots for a start! Plenty of other veg/toms to bring on too,so I like your idea of a larger pot with depth and sow more onion/banana shallot seeds and leave them to grow on.Thanks for the info re splitting them when the time comes to translplant in the onion area.Happy gardening, John.

[jambop]

Hi Jambop.Thankyou for your detailed reply.I agree with the space issue.I have two 10x8 gr/houses,but plenty more to take the space up,ie 100 Geranium cuttings in 5 inch pots for a start! Plenty of other veg/toms to bring on too,so I like your idea of a larger pot with depth and sow more onion/banana shallot seeds and leave them to grow on.Thanks for the info re splitting them when the time comes to translplant in the onion area.Happy gardening, John.

If you need an idea of size and number of seed to so an 8" pot will easily cope with 60 to 80 evenly sown seeds after that all you need to do is let them grow until you want to transplant them.

[Gellideg]

Hi Jambop.I will do just what you suggest,re 8 inch pot etc,it sounds simple and straightforward.My motto is keep things simple,if it looks good and is common sense,then it is usually will work.   Regards John.

[jambop]

Hi Jambop.I will do just what you suggest,re 8 inch pot etc,it sounds simple and straightforward.My motto is keep things simple,if it looks good and is common sense,then it is usually will work.   Regards John.

I grew the best onions I have ever had using this method... but I cannot claim it as my own idea. I bought the onions at the local garden centre here in France and that is how they were grown. They were an F1 variety and I got onions about 4-5" in diameter. The beauty of the method is you can leave them as long as you wish in the pot provided you keep them watered then when the conditions and time is right empty them out and carefully wash the compost away trim the roots lightly if you want a plant about an inch below soil level with a dibber. I would be interested to know how you get on with this method. I am now thinking about using it again next year because frankly there is a lot of work and expense in sowing and thinning whereas this method is so simple.

[victoria park]

That sounds a bit like many of us start off our leeks. I was under the impression onions were a bit more fussy about their roots being messed with, but your experience would say not. That's good to know, Jambop.
I've had a strangely bad year this year with my onion seed, with only about 40 making it so far.
I had thought about doing a straight direct sowing of ailsa craig under a cloche after the present inclement weather, as a last late seeding attempt/experiment, but think I will  try this leek type method. I can also see me plonking in some sets as some sort of insurance.

[arh]

Thanks for that Jambob, I will do that next year, much simpler than lots of modules with one in. Ps anywhere near Biscarrosse Plage??

[New shoot]

I grew the best onions I have ever had using this method... but I cannot claim it as my own idea. I bought the onions at the local garden centre here in France and that is how they were grown. They were an F1 variety and I got onions about 4-5" in diameter.

Do you know the variety jambob or have you subsequently tried it with other varieties? 

It is just that the onion family is a large one and there are a lot of types, so what may work well for some varieties, may not work so well for the ones generally on offer as seed in the UK.

I've sown onions from seed that say thin at an early stage, plus grown the same types in small clumps.  They are a fair bit smaller if grown as a clump, but that is OK sometimes.

I've also sown types where you can thin by harvesting, so the onions are happy growing quite densely at first, then you give them space to develop a bit, or you choose whether to be more brutal in the thinning and get bigger onions.

It just makes me wonder why the seed packets do not all suggest the pot growing method if it was going to work every time   

 

[jambop]

I grew the best onions I have ever had using this method... but I cannot claim it as my own idea. I bought the onions at the local garden centre here in France and that is how they were grown. They were an F1 variety and I got onions about 4-5" in diameter.

Do you know the variety jambob or have you subsequently tried it with other varieties? 

It is just that the onion family is a large one and there are a lot of types, so what may work well for some varieties, may not work so well for the ones generally on offer as seed in the UK.

I've sown onions from seed that say thin at an early stage, plus grown the same types in small clumps.  They are a fair bit smaller if grown as a clump, but that is OK sometimes.

I've also sown types where you can thin by harvesting, so the onions are happy growing quite densely at first, then you give them space to develop a bit, or you choose whether to be more brutal in the thinning and get bigger onions.

It just makes me wonder why the seed packets do not all suggest the pot growing method if it was going to work every time 

The variety was an F1 called mammoth as I recall. I bought them at the local point verte GC the label said there were 50 onions in the pot , in fact there were 65 !  The average thikness of the seedling was similar to say a fine artists paint brush.
 It was funny because we actually returned home at the end of the summer that year and we took the onions with us They were huge and kept really well we gave many of them to friends. Anyway I have not actually tried doing that but I am going to do so next year. I have seen plenty of people on you tube videos who have grown them broadcast on seed trays and grown on until planting out. In this case the video I saw the person growing them did it the same way every year and he actually trimmed the roots at planning out time. I will try to re-find the video and post it. I have no doubt at all that the method is sound.