Onion devastation - again!

For the third year running my onions are smothered in mildew (downy?) and rapidly deteriorating.  All the rain we have had in late June and through July has wreaked havoc, just as it did for the previous 2 years.

At least last year they survived until the third week in August. I am now faced with lifting them all, before they're ripe and storing them in my outbuilding to dry off. Furthermore, my recently transplanted leeks are showing signs of rust, same as last year but earlier. Trouble here is, they haven't grown much since transplanting, so not much hope of any crop at all!

As the weather has been (largely) the same for the last 3 years, must we assume this is the way of things now, with 'climate change'. If so, it probably means that the only onions I can grow will be the 'Japanese' over-wintered ones and no leeks at all!

This is a really grim prospect as they are two of our most important crops.

Anyone else suffering the same fate?

All my vegetables are grown in raised beds, so I doubt if drainage is the cause. I believe it is the incessant rain coupled with low(ish) temperatures.

Would soil acidity have any bearing? I have been wondering if my soil might be turning a bit acidic, as I haven't added any lime for years.

I must get a soil tester - any recomendations (or is that a subject for another thread)?

Hello Griffo: My onion problem is white rot not mildew and I have lifted all my white onions to dry out. Reds seem to be OK.
I googled 'onion downey' and got several sites including the RHS. This is a soil fungus which can stay in the soil for 5 years, for which there is no chemical cure. You probably need to relocate your onion bed. I have grown onions in very large pots (7 to a pot) and had some control with sheltering and exposure in the sun etc.

thanks for the thoughts. I'm pretty sure it's not white rot, as the tops look the same as the last 2 years and I was able to lift/dry and store them quite well, which wouldn't be possible with white rot, as that attacks the bulbs - right?

I'm thinking along your lines Trillium - some sort of mini polytunnel, that I can move from raised bed to raised bed.

I had thought of growing my onions on the same bed every other year, alternating with squashes/courgettes. My logic here is based on the point made by Geoffrey Smith - that some people grown onions on the same bed each year, building up the fertility. As squashes/courgettes are also hungry feeders, I thought that alternating the 2 beds made some sense?

Griffo: Sorry if I have introduced some confusion. You have a fungal disease and you were considering lifting your crop. I have another fungal disease and have lifted my crop and they are nearly dried. Red onions continue to grow well and I left a dozen whites to grow on (they were small) which they have done but yesterday I lost another 3 to rot. So I have not gained at all.