Naff Onion Seed?

I'm very disappointed with my Kelsae onions, I sowed 60 seeds along with some Long Red Florence and Bedfordshire Champion on 26th December, all sown in the same environment. I now have pricked out and potted on 200 LRF's and Bedford Champs, nearly 100% germination rate...... to date I have 14 Kelsaes, 3 of which seem ok. My kelsaes have, in the past, always shown a good germination ratio and produced a surplus of onionlets, but what's gone wrong this year?

I've just sown another 100 plus to try and catch up (different packet), starting to worry that my seed supplier isn't maintaining seed at optimum levels?

I live in hope though cos I've got 3 lovely specimens LOL

 

Bother Vince, that puts you a month behind, are you entering them at a show?

 

Only show was "Gardeners Corner" :

Yup, Fresh seed, or supposedly so, have my doubts now, never trust a label?

If I can grow a "Biggun" from what I have, I'll keep it for seed production next year, that way I can ensure seed quality and blame no-one other than myself

 

Ahh, The Show.

 

Onion seed is supposed to be relatively short lived, but I managed to find a packet of Kelsae seeds at Wilkos in Abergavenny last year in their 10p reduced basket like these;



These are at the back RH corner of my growlight box and will need pricking out shortly (light on a timer out at the moment), some more 'special' ones are are in front:



I'm also getting some 'extra special' plants late next month (I managed to cost justify these over 4 years to Mrs Scrungee by assuming high levels of seed saving , selling seeds/plants from them and getting bumper harvests for eating).


P.S. I had some 'relatively' old Ailsa Craig onion seeds I sowed a couple of weeks ago that failed to germinate, so chucked them out and sowed some one year more up to date and they're germinating within days!

 

I HATE SCRUNGEE :(

Only kidding :D

I'll try moddly-coddling some of the new seedlings........ if they germinate!!!!!!!

 

Update:

I received an unexpected packet of Kelsae seeds in the post today.

It appears my seed supplier have also had germination problems and as such, are issuing replacement packets from a different batch :D

Better get down to the greenhouse pronto, I'm only 2 month's behind schedule :(

 

Well done Seed Supplier - that's real customer service.

a-a

 

Who are they Vince a good supplier is worth knowing about :yess: Mick

 

Don't know if I can advertise but the initials are D.T.B.

I'm very happy with their service and this gesture goes a long way to validating the trust I hold in them :D

 

I think we're allowed to say. DTB?

 

DTB, why not




Needs copying to 'Retailer Feedback'

But as these onions are grown for bigguns, I think it would be more appropriate if they gave all those who sowed early and suffered poor germination this year, not only a pkt that's too late now, but at the very least a free pkt for next year.


EDIT: I had a similar complaint with T&M last year, and it took several exchanges of emails before their sales assistants finally understood that it was pointless offering exchange seeds after the sowing season has been overshot by way too many weeks to get any sort of crop whatsoever.

 

Maybe it's D.T. Brown's ?

 

OK, you got the supplier, BUT I didn't advertise :D