What should onions grown from seed now in modules be doing in April?

[Rhys]

Charles

Having successfully germinated Ailsa Craig onions from seed at the end of February, I transplanted them into modules, either singly or in clumps about 12 days ago. They seem healthy enough, but they really don’t seem to be doing anything at all in terms of growing, thickening out etc etc.

As this is the first time I’ve not used sets, I was wondering whether I am going astray somehow or whether this is par for the course?

The modules are kept over night in an unheated greenhouse/lean-to and come out into the sun when it is warm enough.

I guess the questions I have are:
1. Would they do better inside at 20C at this stage?
2. Have I transplanted them too deep?
3. Have they had too much water?

Any insights appreciated, including the possibility that ‘sowing in modules is best so you don’t have to prick out’. I’m going to sow a second batch of another strain soon, so if I should change strategy, I’d be most grateful to know about it.

Regards

Rhys

[charles]

Plant them out sounds best to me.
I hope the photos* help, module seedlings I planted yesterday. I was trying a different module tray which turned out less good, so they are a little smaller than I prefer, but I find that small seedlings often establish more quickly than big ones.
Onions tolerate cool nights and the soil is now warm by day.
Also best not overwatered.
*Sorry can’t upload yet

[Rhys]

Thanks Charles, that’s what I was wondering about – the beds are certainly warm enough as I have been sticking my soil thermometer in at various places and it anything up to 16C (that’s my dedicated salads bed).

I have some fleece if covering them would be a good idea – my parsnips and carrots sown on Sunday are covered already.

I was doing some measuring of sunlight hours in various parts of the vegetable bed today and found striking differences – it shows the effects that neighbours’ trees and/or hedges can have – a 10 yard difference has a 4hr delay in first sun in the morning! Happily that late receiver of sunshine then gets 6hrs of continuous rays, whereas other parts get 4hrs in the morning, then are in shade in early afternoon before getting 2hrs again in the late afternoon, due to Amazonian-style pine trees in the garden to the south of us. However, there are two parts with almost 9hrs sunshine and 5 yards to the south it can drop to just over 5!! The peas were planted out where the 9hrs of sunshine pertains……

I’m going to measure every 31 days until the winter solstice to get a true picture of what the sunshine profile of the patch is: hopefully that will lead to better crop planning strategies from 2016 onwards.

[Rhys]

Update as of 27th April: all the onions were looking a bit sad through most of April, laying down for the most part. Three good rain showers/episodes the past 4 days and now almost all are looking perky and healthy. It does say that there’s no substitute for proper rain in terms of providing moisture – whatever it is in rain, the plants love it. Most have a sizable second leaf now and for the first time, I’m really confident that they will go on to produce a good healthy crop.

I’m also trying a little experiment of making ‘seed balls’ with some van Rynsburger onions, putting 6 seeds in each of 16 balls and seeing whether they will emerge sown directly. The first few balls are now showing seedlings emerging. However, I’ve sown 42 singles in a tray as an insurance policy, along with 42 Zeebrune Shallots (which are now coming through in the lean-to greenhouse).

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