Onion Fertilizer - when to use

I was fairly pleased with my onions this year, but hope to do better as some of them were small. So I have ordered my onion sets and I have a bag of onion fertilizer already (didnt have it for this year's crop).

I have prepared the ground and added some organic fertilizer already. Should I dig/hoe in some onion fertilizer now a few weeks before planting? Or should I only use this in the spring.

Many thanks
Teressa

 

Hi Teressa. The onion sets you have are commonly known as 'japanese' onions. I'm certainly no expert, but I reckon you'd be better to wait until next year (maybe march) before adding any fertilizer, that's when they really start to grow. I grew some japanese onions myself which I harvested maybe 10 weeks ago ? Well, they've already started to rot off, so please be aware that they don't store well at all.
Cheers...freddy.

 

Thanks Freddy. I have ordered these from Thomson & Morgan for Autumn planting What is the alternative if you want good keeepers?

 

TAL

I don't know of any autumn sown onion that's a good keeper. That's not their strong point. They're really intended to give you early crops next year.

For keeping purposes, you would get better results from planting Sturon or Setton sets next spring. They're very reliable and if you ripen them properly, they'll keep throughout next winter.

 

Thanks Flinty. As part of the order with T&M I am being given 'free' onion set called Corrado, any idea if these would be appropriate for spring planting?

I dont have a very large plot (16' w x 14' long growing area), and I intend planting some maincrop potatoes in one 3.5' wide section. My green beans grown in pots this year have been a great success so I am trying to move whatever I can to pots and/or potatoe sacks to max my yields and available planting space. I think I may reduce the amount of brocolli I intended to plant to make way for one or two 14' long row of onions (I know that wont give me very many).

 

Just had a look on T&M site. Corrado is a spring planting onion though they appear (in the pictures on T&M site) to be somewhat smaller than Setton or Sturon.

 

Hi Teressa

I've not grown Corrado myself but if it's planted in the spring, it'll probably be fine. Don't worry if the bulbs are a bit small - I find the smaller onions are easier to use in the kitchen. You don't get bits left over that you then forget about in the fridge!

The key for good keeping is to ensure the bulbs get plenting of sun. When the onion tops start to fall over, I fold them neatly down away from the sun to give maximum exposure of the bulb to the sun. And when you lift them, you need to keep them quite dry so the last bit of ripening can take place. I spread mine out on a concrete path to finish off. They should be as hard as little cannon balls when you put them in store.