[kevinp]

Just following on from another thread how many onions do you plant either from seed or sets or both. I have just been trying to work out how many I use per week and its a lot .... somewhere in the region of four to five red and the same quantities of white either in sandwiches or with my cooking, so a rough number for six months in in the region of 250 onions these are not the massive ones they are around 1.5' to 2' in diameter.

So the question I suppose I would like some advice on would be how many would you plant if you were in my position ?

The other question I have is how come none of the seed catalogues have red onions they are all whites ?

[DD.]

I do about 250 spring planted ones and 100 winter ones. Gives me about  one a day.

[mumofstig]

red onion seed here or did you mean sets?

[rem858]

same as dd 100 winter onions sensui and a combination of 250 setton/sturon sets this gives me  around 10  months supply of onions for general cooking soups etc

[kevinp]

thanks for the very quick replys, I might try seeds for next year and sets for this one as I am a bit late at getting into this season.

[DD.]

You're too late for planting now, have a look for winter or "Japanese" onions which can be planted in the autumn.

[zazen999]

I use at least one a day, preferable two or three if I can possibly help it.

However, that would be large onions. If there is a bad year, and you don't get them all growing as big as you would like, you use more. So I grow 500-1000 of differing types; to try and hedge my bets. I usually end up with loads for ages and still run out around the Hungry Gap. I also sow the seed now and Dec-Jan - and put sets in if I can get a good deal on any.

[solway cropper]

I can't get enough aliums so I grow salad onions all through the year, in containers in the greenhouse in winter. I've just lifted the overwintered onions and the best are nearly 1lb each. Then there's the shallots which are now drying nicely. The spring planted sets (about 120, I guess) are coming along nicely but I'll still run short.

How many to plant?
How long's a piece of string?

[kevinp]

Thanks for the replys everyone, I guess I will be planting around 250-300 set out and then starting more from seed later on for next year.

[DD.]

If you are thinking about a lot of over-winter sets, just be careful as these don't store as well as the spring planted ones.

That's why you see a "weighting" in the numbers that's been posted towards the spring ones.

[Snoop]

To confirm DD's remark about onions planted in spring storing better than those planted in late autumn and the consequent 'weighting' of numbers, this year I'm growing 100 very large Spanish onions, 100 long-storage onions, 150 shallots and 100 small onions for casseroles, all planted in spring. In November, I'll plant just 100 onions to start using when the spring-planted ones are all gone.

[Nobbie]

I find that the shallots keep for longest and are a good standby if the others start sprouting. I've still got a bag from last year in perfect condition hanging in the shed.

[kevinp]

To confirm DD's remark about onions planted in spring storing better than those planted in late autumn and the consequent 'weighting' of numbers, etc

This is interesting to a newbe grower as I wouldn't have picked up on this, so would you all recommend planting a 100 or so sets this year, then next year putting down my main crop.

Just so you know I have only just got my allotment so I am just looking for things to plant this year, most of the plot will go down under a green manure.

[DD.]

Yes.

Umm - not much more I can add to that!

[Cazzy]

Are winter onions and spring onions the same, just planted at different times or are there specific varieties for winter planting?