Expensive 'spring onions'

Discussion in 'Edible Gardening' started by Scrungee, Jun 14, 2013.

  1. Scrungee

    Scrungee Well known for it

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    By mid-June the first of my autumn planted onion sets are normally getting big enough to start using them and by July I should of had a barrow load of onions, but not this year. Mice/voles kept eating the leaves down to the bulb all through winter and spring and they have completely failed. All I have left is about 30 spring onion size plants. So that's yet another crop I wont bother with for a while.

    failed onions.jpg
     
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    • JWK

      JWK Gardener Staff Member

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      That's a shame Scrungee.
       
    • **Yvonne**

      **Yvonne** Total Gardener

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      I'm aware that disappointment like this is all part of gardening but I'm not looking forward to facing it myself. How are your other crops faring Scrungee ?
       
    • Phil A

      Phil A Guest

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      Just pulled last years maincrop onions at the same size, slugs ate them down to the base.
       
    • Freddy

      Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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      I tried some autumn planted onions a few years ago, and pretty much lost the lot. Considering they only mature a month or two (?) ahead of spring planted onions, to me, it isn't worth it.
       
    • Lolimac

      Lolimac Guest

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      That's disheartening Scrungee...but i can see those going nicely in an ommlette with some cheese thrown in:thumbsup:
       
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      • Scrungee

        Scrungee Well known for it

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        For me, it's not only that welcome 2 month'ish period when I'm able to start using my own onions again, but the feel good factor of seeing something growing overwinter, plus having the ground available again that bit earlier enables more choice for planting subsequent crops.

        Apples - extremely poor pollination - again
        Sweet Williams - all died over winter
        Strawberries - fruits late + weather stopped me from planting up and selling several hundred runners this year. They just didn't start growing in time or simply died over winter.
        Spring Planting Garlic - frozen ground forced me to plant in 'peat' pots and plant out later, and the jury's out on how that's going to affect them.
         
      • clueless1

        clueless1 member... yep, that's what I am:)

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        After success beyond my expectations with onions last year, I planted some autumn planting ones thinking onions was my new crop for a while.

        I planted about 100 sets last autumn. I had a look the other day. There's about 10 onions growing. 3 or 4 of them show promise for turning out a respectable size.
         
      • Freddy

        Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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        Hiya Scrungee

        Yes, that was my thinking too, but the downside was that I had ground occupied by a failing crop come spring/planting time. I suppose it depends on how much ground one has. I need all my ground to be productive, as far as possible.
         
      • Phil A

        Phil A Guest

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        Garlic's huge this year too.
        PICT0057.JPG
         
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        • shiney

          shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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          Sorry to be annoying but both our autumn sown garlic and onions seem OK - apart from being about a month behind.

          Runner beans now seem to be getting their act together after not wanting to bother! Some of them have grown 2ft in the last 10 days. :blue thumb:
           
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          • shiney

            shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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            Zigs, that looks as though it may have been one of last year's that had not been picked. :scratch:
             
          • Scrungee

            Scrungee Well known for it

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            Mine's doing OK above the ground, 1.255 metres high (over four feet):

            garlicjune2013.jpg

            It wont grow much more as the scapes are coming;

            garlicscapeJune2013.jpg

            Exactly how they were used! There were some really weedy ones that went straight to the hens.
             
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