Onions

[MJSJParticipant]

Hi Charles & everyone Last year the slugs got my onions so we had small bulbs this year they were a little late going out from seed but some of them have hardly grown since April !! Can you tell me the most likely cause ? The strange weather combinations an early cold soaking followed by early heatwave , lack of fertility lack of light or just too dry ? They followed a fairly empty bed that had brassicas & celeriac 2nd season no dig which gets full sun just before midday til dusk but full shade in the am which may be a problem in the early dark spring days.they established very well & were fleeced until good weather i have tried not to water as they looked healthy enough until now as they range from tiny to spring onion size at best !!& The deep moisture has gone.any help greatfully received as I need to help my next crop I am wondering if I need to add more compost or my compost not enough N or only plant a certain type of plant here .thanks to any one who can shed some light Mandy

[DieterParticipant]

Hi MJSJ,

Which variety are you growing?

I have sown 5 different varieties, starting out in january-february, and have planted out the seedlings under various conditions, by way of experiment. At this moment, the plants that receive most direct sunlight look the best. Those that have shade in the afternoon are doing considerably worse, even with better compost.

The patch that is doing best is a raised bed (30cm high, stone) filled with mushroom compost. At this time of year, it receives full sun from sunrise until 4pm. I have watered today, but last time was 3 weeks ago. Multisown and the size is competitive with bio-products from the supermarket.

At a second place is a patch, raised bed (20cm high, stone), filled with 10cm soil and topped with 10cm mushroom compost. It has decaying wood below ground level, and full sun from 9am till 7pm.

At a third place, a patch with a few cm of compost on top of soil. Full sun from 9am till 7pm. Small onions, but acceptable.

Last place, a patch with full sun from 8am till 1pm, 10cm compost on top of soil. Poor size, what you might call spring onion 🙂

Shade early in the growing process in not necessarily disadvantageous, as this will stimulate the plant to begin bulb formation earlier than “normal”. Once bulb formation has commenced, more light will usually result in larger bulbs.

Our soil here is very poor and sandy. I don’t have to dig a full meter to arrive at sand of “beach quality”.

[charlesModerator]

Nice trial Dieter and your soil sounds impressively difficult for vegetables!
MSJ I don’t know is the best I can say. It does not sound right and the small amount of shade you mention would not cause such a result. Perhaps the compost dried out at a critical phase, I wonder if it is ‘green waste’ which is prone to do that.

[LottieParticipant]

I have had this problem as well with my onions. They have not grown at all!

[MJSJParticipant]

Wow Dieter such details I planted alisia Craig ,Augusta & sturton 27/3 & 9/4 just after the beast from the East & followed by flooding then heatwave ! My compost is well rotted pony & kitchen & garden waste & may well have dried out?
Thanks Charles I think that the extreme from flood to heatwave at crucial stage as you say maybe the cause as I was determined not to encourage slugs & didn’t water . I am going to interplant lettuces & see how they get on.hope yours catch up Lottie
Thanks all for advice & info

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