Talkback: Growing and storing onions and garlic

susier

We have started chopping our onions up if they have had soggy necks, or bull necks and freezing them for future use. The 'good' onions are hung up to dry and hopefully they'll last. Ive new onions growing on the allotment, and they are looking good. My garlic which was planted earlier in the year is on my husbands plot and I haven't checked it, but the leaves have gone very pale, and I'll have a look at it next time I go up there. The garlic planted more recently is doing well.

I hope we start getting some warm and sunny weather soon.

donutsmrs

I lifted my onions on Monday and they are now on racks in the greenhouse drying off nicely. as I've never grown them before I am really pleased with the crop I've got. I've got more now to plant in the Autumn so I hope they do just as well.

Barry Kirby

So far the garlic has been ok, though the elephant garlic, which is still in the ground, is looking very thick and worrying.

spugh22

I randomly potted some onions that would have otherwise gone in the bin because they had started to grow roots. Things were looking good until the stem started to thicken and now I have a peculiar looking 'bulb' on the top of this stem which, according to the glorious world of the internet, is going to be a flower. Because of the weather, my onions have "bolted". But I'm hoping I will at least be able to get the seed from this flower and propergate new onion plants?

Welshonion

spugh22; take account of the breeding of your onions.  If they are F1 you may waste a lot of your time growing the seed only to end up with useless plants/onions.

If you want to experiment, fine, but it may be better to buy good quality seed or sets.

If you plant onions that are growing roots, of course they bolt.  Onions are biennial and always produce flowers in their second year. Nothing to do with the weather.

Linda Taylor2 2103213618

I have been given some onion sets-if I plant them in big pots and put them in a cold frame,will they grow? Not taken on onions before!!

Welshonion

Linda, what kind of onion sets.  Are they for Spring planting, in which case it is too late, or are they for Autumn planting, in which case it is a bit early.

Or are they just some sets that have been lying around for months?

Frankiewhippet

First time i've grown garlic - can someone tell me how to store it. At the moment its on my greenhouse bench, but it's quite dry.

Linda Taylor2 2103213618

Hello Welsh Onion-was given them a couple of weeks ago and they should be for spring planting I think (Sturon and Stuttgarter). If I am too late, will they br OK  to try in Autumn, or will thet keep for next year?