[andyww2013]

Hi,

Bit of a newbie, but I've been reading up on what I can sow now.  Any problems with sowing onion seeds and spinach this time of year?

Thanks.

[mumofstig]

I wouldn't sow spinach during a hot spell, temps are likely to be rising again next week. Keep an eye out for when it starts to cool down properly.
What kind of onions do you want to sow, from seed or from sets?

[lettice]

You can sow spinach and chard now.
But as mentioned above the seedlings will not take well to the current hot conditions well and will probably be weak.
You could always try growing them in a partly shaded cooler place and make sure the pots are sitting in a moist tray.

[simbamara]

IF I sow seeds now on my allotment & give it a good soak , how many days before I need to water again please ??
Is it ok to plant Beetroot, fennel now ?

[sunshineband]

Soak the soil well before sowing, cover with damp soil then drag dry soil over the top to reduce immediate evaporation.

Water down along side each drill/line of seeds on alternate days or every third day until germination, and then continue as necessary (unless it rains of course lol)

This works for me and have sown winter varieties of radish last week (now up)

Fennel might give you a small crop (mine have been in a few weeks now) and beetroot should give you something before the cold weather.

Chard yes (it is a beet really) but spinach is not yet imho as it hates the heat, unless you have virtually permanent shaded spot somewhere.

Spring onions I'd sow in modules in small pinches and plant out when they are well rooted, in a clumpr from each module

[Thrutchington]

Have sown last batch of autumn king carrot over the last two weeks, but something has been eating the tops off the seedlings. I suspect slugs die to some rain and still being warm, so have applied a few pellets and ordered a box of nematodes so hoping to curb them for a late autumn crop.

[andyww2013]

When I planted my carrots, I well watered the ground first, then after I sowed them I covered them with an old fleece, that keeps it nice and damp when watered.

[Thrutchington]

Applied the nematodes this evening, so hoping they help.

[sunshineband]

Applied the nematodes this evening, so hoping they help.

When we had a major problem with the little black slugs that live in the soil eating the carrots seedlings before they even made it through the soil surface, I "sowed" slug pellets alongside the carrot  seed.

I hope the nematodes do the job for you