Onion Growing 2024

Last dozen of my seedlings went out today, the bed is now pretty full so no room for Leeks this year.

 

Lifted the fleece over the onions to see how they were doing....which was poorly. I have planted the spare ones I kept in the greenhouse and also put in a load of those stuttgarter sets that I'd started in a tray ten days ago. They had just sprouted and put thumb length roots into the compost, so i have reasonable hopes they will do well enough. Next year I'll pot on the onion seeds I get going before planting them out about now instead of march.

 

Realise it may be an exposed site but wonder if the light reduction of fleece would, especially in this 'drab' Spring, outdo the potential benefit of a microclimate ?

 

Quite possibly, a lot were munched on as well. I don't normally put down slug pellets for alliums as I find slugs tend to prefer many other things first, so perhaps the slugs enjoyed it under the fleece. Whereas with the brassicas and lettuce I planted I put a few pellets down under their fleece and they have by and large made it, although a few were lost mainly at the edge.

I planted these on the sixth, two weeks after the onions. Gave the beds their first hoeing of the season after as it's been too wet to do so. Next time I'll wait till April to plant the onions at a similar time as the lettuce I think

 

My onion sets have started to grow but hardly moved since.
They are just standing still almost.

 

My onion sets are growing much slower than usual @pete. It's now a month since your post. Any progress?

 

They have grown recently but now noticing a few bolting, I dont think onions like changeable weather, this warm one day cold the next confuses them.
They are a bit overshadowed by the broadbeans.

 

They look similar to mine @pete. Thanks for the photo.

 

I think fairly normal for the time of year for me now.

 

Can i just throw my two pennorth in for those growing leeks , onions etc about allium leaf miner. I didnt know it even existed until last September when i found my leeks , onions , spring onions and chives badly infested and unusable and i had to dig it all up and burn. Instead of sturdy upright plants my crop was collapsed and wilting with track marks and on close inspection covered in small black insects. I understand the damage is done in April and really comes to light in September. Its fair to say its partly my fault as my veg plot was badly neglected for long periods last summer and my old favourite trouble free stalwarts suffered most and are no longer the trouble free crop they were as the miner has only arrived in UK in recent years from the continent and the infestation means i cant grow those crops until 2025 at the earliest.

 

Not yet a problem here (Solent) but know it is spreading.
Charles Dowding has reported thus :
Allium leaf miner - No Dig Organic Gardening

 

Just lifted my Meloine Shallots, quite a good crop from what has been an indifferent season so far, will grow them again for sure.