onion sets and wet weather

themoog · « **on:** September 27, 2008, 17:45 »

My onion sets arrived today and I could do with some words of wisdom. Is it better to get them in a.s.a.p. or to wait for a few dry days? Tomorrow should be dry, but after that our local weather report is forecasting a week of solid rain, so I'm undecided as to whether to plant them tomorrow or not. This is my first winter on the allotment.

In your experience, is it more important to get them in the ground and risk them sitting in cold, wet ground or to wait until a better time and, if so, how should they be stored.

Thanks

FCG · « **Reply #1 on:** September 27, 2008, 17:46 »

I'm no expert but when i put mine in the ground it didn't stop raining for about 2 weeks straight. I lost quite a few i think

So that's my experience to go by. But where are you planning to put them in? Straight into a row or a raised bed? In a raised bed i think you'll be fine, s'long as you've prepared it to drain correctly.

themoog · « **Reply #2 on:** September 27, 2008, 19:14 »

They'll be going straight in the ground at the top of a gentle slope. I've only got a quarter plot (the council has such a long queue) so every vegetable counts and I can't afford to lose too many.

How many years could I grow them in the same spot, by tthe way? I've heard that they like a few years, so that you can build up good levels of heat and ammonia.

Yorkie · « **Reply #3 on:** September 28, 2008, 17:05 »

All the advice I've ever read is to avoid planting in the same spot for more than one year at a time, or you run the risk of build-up of pests and diseases.

I've never heard about ammonia or heat being a result (whether positive or negative) of planting in the same place successionally.

agapanthus · « **Reply #4 on:** September 28, 2008, 19:09 »

I've not heard of that either :?

themoog · « **Reply #5 on:** September 28, 2008, 20:01 »

Maybe it's just the 'old injun guide' way of doing it on our allotment, which is poultry manure then put the sets in, dig up for storage in August and keep manuring every couple of weeks until the end of September and then repeat.

Mind you, they do things very much their own way round here

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