Onion sets

[Joe]

Sorry nothing to do with sheds.Are onion sets available here? I have not seen any so far.

[andyh4]

Yes

but far too early - in our area at least they come into the stores around end january and are usually not planted until end Feb.  But then -15 degrees is the norm over the winter and I doubt the sets would survive..

[Joe]

Thanks for that only I planted onions and garlic end of last year in Kent. I am in Brittany.I have been told it can get cold here.Not having stayed over winter in Brittany before,I will have that to look forward to.

[doris day]

Hi

This will be my fourth year here and I always plant my garlic around October time - which I also did in the UK.  Garlic likes a few cold spells.  I live in the South West by the way but we still have pretty cold - albeit shortish - winters.  I generally use good quality summer market bulbs, split them, then plant them. 

Doris

[doris day]

I meant supermarket bulbs!!

[Tony F Dordogne]

No reason at all not to plant out the onions and garlic from October - in October preferred for summer picking.  The catalogues in  France are advertising them an d I've received 3 emails from suppliers today advertising that sort of thing.

Just need a bit of thought to over winter them.

[dragonrouge]

seemingly garlic is planted on the shortest day and harvested on the longest day. Save of course when the moon intervenes and then no one knows.

[doris day]

The only problem I've had with garlic is rust.  It looks quite dramatic but appears to have no adverse effect on the garlic itself.  I've had lovely plump bulbs which are storing very well so far.  Dunno about onions tho.  Again I had a smashing crop planting them in March - planted then cus that's when they were available.  I give them both a good dressing of fresh wood ash - seems to work wonders.

Doris

[Clair]

I 'd like to try garlic this autumn.

Can someone knowledgeable tell me...

• How deep and wide a pot do I need (I have an unused terracotta troth 30cm wide, 30 high and 60 long)?
• Can I use good quality (pink?) garlic bulbs grown and sold locally?

[babcock]

Baumaux have garlic in their catalogue. Different varieties depending on what your winter is like.

[doris day]

I'm sure many people would disagree but I've always found shop bought garlic as good as any bought from specialist suppliers.  You can generally see where it has been grown, and very much cheaper.  I have grown it in pots before - don't remember the size but quite big ones, and it did ok but clearly prefers to be in the ground.  Should do ok in troughs described but like I say ..... Garlic is a tough beast indeed and as long as it's watered enough will do fine - it likes potash - hence my use of wood ash. 

Doris

[plod]

Never watered garlic or onions - even in the dustbowl that is the South-West this year.

[doris day]

Really - that's interesting.  Did you get good size produce?  Be interested to kno.

Thanks

Doris

[chris pp]

I would say that the problem with autumn planted onion sets is the increased likelihood of bolting and going to seed and not the actual cold in winter if you choose the right variety.

Chris

[doris day]

Still waiting to hear from Plod - how he managed to grow onions and garlic without watering them in a very dry summer??  Am intreaged!!

Doris

[buelligan]

Is it too late to reply Doris (as plod hasn't)?  I grow onions here (Corbieres), it's very hot and dry in the summer and my land bakes.  I do water onions but not much or as regularly as other crops and they do very well indeed.  Always make long strings of lovely, firm, good sized onions to hang in the barn and they last me through the year.  The garlic wasn't so good this year but then I planted it out of season with some old sprouting heads from my kitchen...[:)]

[Gardengirl]

Clair, garlic does seem to prefer being in the ground, but your trough is a good size, so worth a try. I think I would give some protection in the coldest weather as it's terracotta, and it should be raised from the ground.

I don't know about your pink garlic, but I would give it a try. As it's local garlic, I'd put some local soil in the trough with whatever compost I was going to use. Good luck with your planting; hope it grows well.

[Joe]

I have planted onion sets,garlic and broad beans.Green shoots are evident.Just got to watch the slugs.