This topic contains 4 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by charles 11 years, 9 months ago.
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I used to be a fan of overwintering onions until I figured they were probably hosting the mildew which almost wiped out my spring planted and sown onions in 2005-8. Since then I stopped sowing onions in the last week of August (usually Senshyu in fact) and just sowed them in February in the greenhouse, or planted sets late March to early April. This year’s spring sown and planted onions are mostly good apart from one variety (Marco) which appears susceptible to mildew.
To overwinter, do not sow before August 23rd or they risk bolting next spring. Before 31st gives them time to make plants for setting out in late September. Spring onions use the same dates, White Lisbon is good. Onions do not germinate well in temperatures consistently over 20C, so keep the trays out of sunlight until you see green shoots.
In previous years we have grown overwintered onions from sets planted out in Sep/Oct. We have been happy with the results but last year owing to a wet autumn we couldn’t get them in and they were still in the tray in February unplanted. So we put them in modules and got them started in the poly tunnel and when they had shoots put them out side. Finally in April they got planted out and they have done reasonable well, they are just flopping over and we have started using them. BTW we are in Cumbria and about 400′ up.
Actually I think it was more to do with the variety, Purple Haze, as the Early Nantes carrots next to it in the same bed are nearly all straight. Also in April I sowed Nantes carrot seed into a bed freshly filled with well decomposed manure and compost, on top of grass: they are straight but not so long. Best carrots were in the moon experiment bed which I shall write up, and that bed grew carrots last spring too! – then it grew turnips, and after harvesting them in November I spread two inches of home made compost on the whole bed.
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