[chili]

hello folks well just paid for my 2nd year on my plot and want to get off on the right track, basic advice needed. for example lets say i want to plant some onions i have my ground weed free at the mo (dug most of it out) ground is nice and broken up with manure etc in it

do i bother to rack the area flat or do i just whack the onion set into the ground and leave

when the weeds come back do i weed round the onions or leave them till they mature and take root abit  before disturbing them

ta

[Salmo]

I would wait a few weeks before planting onions. If you plant them too early they make a lot of growth and suffer the winter weather. Also if you delay you will not get so many weed problems, partly because you will kill another generation of weeds when you prepare the planting bed.

Work the bed down but it need not be as fine as for planting seeds. If you put them in too rough it will be difficult to weed. One thing onions hate is any competition from weeds.

[Stevens706]

Another thing you can try is to plant your onion sets in a ridge this will help keep the water away from them and prevent them rotting, did this last year with the garlic.

[chili]

Another thing you can try is to plant your onion sets in a ridge this will help keep the water away from them and prevent them rotting, did this last year with the garlic.

now am going to sound really dumb, what do you mean a ridge....

[pushrod]

Another thing you can try is to plant your onion sets in a ridge this will help keep the water away from them and prevent them rotting, did this last year with the garlic.

now am going to sound really dumb, what do you mean a ridge....

If your soil doesn't drain too well some people rake their soil up so you have little peaks and dips. They then plant on the raised ridges in an attempt to keep their autumn planted garlic / overwintering onion sets from sitting in frozen waterlogged soil.

[chili]

ah right got it, fortunatly i don't think i'll have that problem i am on an incline running down the way