2013 Onion Growing Challenge

I'd go with Scrungees guidelines (lets not call them rules), it's the taking part, showing how things are going and nattering about it that makes it all fun. Scrungees guidelines mould that principle into something simple to operate and take part in.

Steve...

 

This may help? (or hinder!)

 

Let's keep it simple guys, biggest from seed and biggest from set, rule out the Harrogate show date, most "professional" onion growers start in October, with a few exceptions, most of us just can't compete at that level, we haven't the facilities?

Maybe a piccie a the "crook" stage to start, another a couple of months later to monitor progress, then finally one last piccie to show your onion(s) in its/their final glory?

That's my thought but it's Freddy's thread!

 

So what is your suggested replacement cut off date?

I assume there's nothing to prevent anybody from weighing in their onions before that date, so what's the problem? There must be and end date or nothing will ever get finalised.

 

The problem is, some off us who start our onions 2 months later than the professionals may still have onions growing at that point!

Nothing at all to stop people weighing in their onion earlier, it'll all be recorded afterall.

I suggest 31st October (we may get an Indian summer?), all candidates should be in by then?

 

FC, there will be some tips coming as we go along, first being, find a source of comfrey!

 

I have a huge bed of Comfrey and am about to give it it's final chop of the year in this next week. Anyone needing Comfrey should pm me.

Steve...

 

Hi Vince, here comes the start of the questions lmao

I'm not going to get my plot to ideal conditions this year, I dont have any comphrey or horsey poo, I dont drive so going to get some is going to be tricky, my mate will prob do a trip to in~excess on a weekend he has the work van, but it wont be a van load, just a few bags of what ever poo they have, I've been out and hand weeded, then dug over 2/3rds of my patch, I'll do the rest in the next few weeks, tho my son is going into hozy next Tue for three weeks, so I'm gonna need to do the work as and when I can.

So I'm not gonna be able to dig in a ton of poo and do things by the book, so what I'm thinking/want to know is,

1) can I prep/dig over, get some poo and open the bags and pile it in a corner to start rotting?

2) I've got plenty of old carpet, looking at a 15" spacing between plants I'm wondering if I should prep holes, then place the carpet down and cut a hole at each hole for each plant, ie "x" amount of poo plus some blood n bone, if I can get away with that? what size holes do you think?

I'm not sure what my soil is like ph wise? but onions seem to grow ok in it, its pretty free drianing with an amout of chalk and flint.

Many thanks, Phil.

 

Hiya folks.

A couple of times it's been pointed out that it's my thread. Well, that's as may be, but it's OUR competition Personally, if one or two folks would like a bit more time, I can't see any problem with it. From my own experience this year, my onions were VERY late to mature, so maybe late October isn't a bad idea. May I suggest Sunday 27th as the cut-off(weigh-in) date? I also think that three photos should suffice, as suggested by Vince. No doubt, many of us will want to post more than that, I know I will!

Cheers...Freddy

 

And maybe all entries should be trimmed top and bottom...so no extra leaves and soil heavy roots to add weight.

Steve...

 

Yup, just 'topped n tailed', nothing fancy...unless you want to

 

Want to wrap the cut stem using an entire ball of raffia to really improve it's presentation prior to weighing?

I've potted up some autumn planted sets that the birds have pulled out and put them in the poly tunnel on the staging, so over a year to go until the final weigh in date.

I'll be starting some more sets off the same way in early spring.

 

Spoil sport.... you lot are starting to scare me now

 

Dont worry Princess, my scales start at two pounds your White Lisbon seeds will deffo win :D