Prick the seedlings out into deep boxes of soil type compost with some added fertiliser. Space them 3 inches apart. Grow them on for a couple of months then plant out. If you don't have any deep trays, use 3 inch pots.
Cover a bed over with a plastic cloche, if the weather turns warm and the soil feels warm in a couple of weeks transplant them into the ground 6 inches apart.
There are about 60 seedlings which I have staggered their sowing so I can then have a continuous supply from the allotment
Unfortunately that won't work quite as you think, Onions bulb in response to day length so they will come ready at around the same time, no matter when you sow them, sowing them early and therefore giving them longer to grow results in a bigger bulb (hopefully) than later sowings. Of course if you want green onions you can pick them whenever you fancy. Last year I put my seedlings outside on the 24th April, I also planted sets on the 21st April, the seedlings were ready for drying on the 9 august and the sets two weeks earlier on the 26th July (I am in Northern Denmark giving me a climate similar to Aberdeen)
@NewBoy2 I think @fidgetbones is assuming (as did I) you have sown them into the 6 inch pots so there are lots of seedlings in there together. Splitting them & putting them individually into 3" pots will give them room to develop more and when it comes to planting out you can plant them with less disturbance than if you split & plant in one go. The other potential advantage is planting with a good plug of clean soil round them reduces the risk of things like white rot if you suffer from that in your area.
Sorry to be so pedantic but over the lasy 8 years since i started growing veg its been "Oh that is near enough" but i want to be more professional from now on
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
I hate coir pots, never seem to be able to get them wet enough, they dry out really quickly and if you try watering from the bottom the bottom falls off.
I don’t grow onions from seed, only setts, but I do buy a local flat onion callen Figueres as sturdy plantlets, usually around 6-10” high, about six or seven crammed in a plug about an an inch across and 1 1/2” deep. I find its easy enough to tease them apart, trim any over-long roots and plant them straight out by dropping them into a hole poked in the soil. They flop a bit to begin with but soon perk up and romp away.
Unless you have dozens to each 6” pot (in which case you can carefully thin them to give them more room and even try potting on the thinnings if you want to keep them all), I would leave them to grow on a bit then plant them straight out. Sixty single seedlings in 3” pots is a lot of pots and seems more faff than they need. I don’t feed either as I find if you treat them too well they develop thick necks - they always go into unenriched soil and once the bulbs start to swell I stop hoeing and allow the weeds grow around them. Once they have swelled sufficiently I stop watering. All this was on Bob Flowerdew’s advice years ago and its always worked for me.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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I have a 12 x 4 foot bed already prepared to which I added some evry finely shredded manure 2 months ago and I feel its ready to receive seedlings
How tall / large do the seedlings have to be before I transplant
I am seeking information please
? What is the purpose of moving the seedlings form a 6" pot to a 3" pot
There are about 60 seedlings which I have staggered their sowing so I can then have a continuous supply from the allotment
I now need to source some 3" wide pots that are not plastic as I dont want to end up with 60 pots that I may not use again
? Any ideas friends as to who sells them
Any thoughts on these types
Sorry to be so pedantic but over the lasy 8 years since i started growing veg its been "Oh that is near enough" but i want to be more professional from now on
I don’t grow onions from seed, only setts, but I do buy a local flat onion callen Figueres as sturdy plantlets, usually around 6-10” high, about six or seven crammed in a plug about an an inch across and 1 1/2” deep. I find its easy enough to tease them apart, trim any over-long roots and plant them straight out by dropping them into a hole poked in the soil. They flop a bit to begin with but soon perk up and romp away.
Unless you have dozens to each 6” pot (in which case you can carefully thin them to give them more room and even try potting on the thinnings if you want to keep them all), I would leave them to grow on a bit then plant them straight out. Sixty single seedlings in 3” pots is a lot of pots and seems more faff than they need. I don’t feed either as I find if you treat them too well they develop thick necks - they always go into unenriched soil and once the bulbs start to swell I stop hoeing and allow the weeds grow around them. Once they have swelled sufficiently I stop watering. All this was on Bob Flowerdew’s advice years ago and its always worked for me.