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Hi Bluebell,
I have also experienced very slow germination of red onions. I sowed Red Spark on 11th Feb in modules on warm sand and some seed is still germinating now. If I remember there was nothing showing for 3 weeks or so. I found standard onions(Hytech) sown on the same date germinated much more quickly. Not sure if this is a characteristic of red onions, or to do with the seed. The Red Spark seed was from last year and the Hytech bought fresh this. I think your parsnip seed will germinate in time as long as the seed is fresh.
AndyStringfellow, I’ll be trying shallot Zebrune for the first time this year, it will be interesting to see how it grows. I’ve read that it prefers reasonably warm well drained conditions, but I’m going to try it on my clay anyway. Matador F1 grew well for me last year and I think Charles has recommended Conservor F1 – both round varieties I think.
AndyI would recommend growing shallots from seed in exactly the same way as onions. Approx 6 seeds per module will give you a harvest clumps of up to 6 shallots, depending on germination. I would space them the same distance as Charles advises for onions, make sure there is enough space to hoe in between the clumps though! One seed will produce one shallot at harvest time, although when cut this may have started to divide internally. Planting a set will give you a clump of shallots. With multisowing you will end up with a heavier harvest of bulbs than from single plants, but the bulbs will be smaller.
If you are trying to grow big onions from Kelsae seed then you could try 2 seeds per module, thin to the stronest then plant out in April. This would give you the biggest size bulbs, but perhaps not the most productive use of the ground!
I would thoroughly recommend multisowing of this and other crops. Beetroot is extremely productive when grown this way.
AndyHi Dave,
I too was looking for a long shallot to grow from seed and came across a variety in the simpsons seeds catalogue. Its called Cuisses de Poulet du Poitou. I will be trying it for the first time in the coming season, so don’t know how it performs. The round variety Matador grew well for me last year and is storing well.
Andy
Hello Ashleigh
I have been converting some pasture to a raised bed system over the last year or so having also been inspired by Charles to try no-dig. Having decided not to cover with a thick manure layer due to the large quantity needed and the good fertility of the soil, I tried a some different ways to kill the grass and weeds.
– Mypex woven ground cover fabric. This killed the grasses and weeds in about 6 months or so and can be re-used many times to gradually clear a large area. It is worth getting a good quality fabric to exclude as much light as possible. (about 100gsm). Try allplas.co.uk for large rolls.
– Silage clamp sheeting. This can be a cheaper option if you can pick up an old roll from an agricultural merchant at a discount. It is very effective but may encourage slugs although i have not found this a problem
– Straw. I got some large bales of pea straw which were available locally and laid slices about 6 inches thick over the ground. They expanded when wet and killed all grass and weeds. I found using straw this way expensive although you are adding fertility as the straw rots. There was also some residue which could be left on the ground or composted. Might be worth thinking about if you can pick up some spoiled straw cheaply.
Before covering I cut the grass short and spread a thin layer of manure as recommended by Charles in his books. A few tough perennial weeds did survive but can be easily removed. I found about 6 months is needed to kill most plants but there is a trade off between how fast you want the ground ready and how many weeds and tough grasses are left.
Good luck! Andy