Wednesday, March 21

The alliums have moved home!

I should say some of our alliums have moved home namely the ones that have been living in the relative comfort of the greenhouse.

The garlic that was raised in pots has now been planted out on the plot. 
There isn't really a lot to choose between them at least not on the surface. This is maybe down to the fact that we haven't had a wet winter - the main reason that I start garlic in pots is to avoid them sitting in soggy soil. When it is very wet our clay soil some becomes waterlogged which isn't ideal for garlic. The cloves planted outside were slow to get going but now growth seems to have evened out. The pot grown garlic have developed good root systems - something that I can't check for the cloves planted straight in the ground. The elephant garlic started in pots is looking particularly strong. They are the ones at the front of the photo on the right.

At the moment two varieties are rather disappointing. Chesnok Red and Messidrome, although performing slightly better in the pots, haven't really grown very well in either location.

These two varieties are doing a little better in the large tubs but are still the ones that are performing worse at the moment
The garlic planted in the tubs have just been moved outside of the garden greenhouse.

I've planted out the shallots - Picasso and Yellow Moon - which were started in pots. These have made lots of growth so I hope they don't resent the move too much.
I've also planted out the onions that were also started off in pots in the greenhouse. These were Setton - yellow - and Snowball - white. We have three varieties of heat treated onion sets still to come. Heat treated sets are always available much later as they need time to undergo the treatment which kills the flower bud in the centre of the onion bulb. This means, if successful, (and it usually seems to be) the onion won't bolt as it has no flower bud to enable it to try to set seed.
The onions aren't planted as far apart as this photo implies - they are just spaced at a trowel head's length. I found last year that was about right to enable me to be able to weed among them without digging pulling up the onions.

It's about now that I start to think that we may have overdone the onions. As ever Martyn thinks it will be fine! As the ones grown last year rotted at an alarming rate in storage we decided to 'just make sure' we would buy extra sets. Having said all that we are still using our onions so last year's crop is managing to see us through. Onion soup anyone?

24 comments:

  1. Wow, you've been busy! No such thing as "too many onions", and you could always make some French-style plaits and give as exceptionally lovely Christmas presents if you really do end up with a surfeit.

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  2. It all looks so tidy! I'm amazed at the number of plants you put in!

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  3. I still have onions from last year too. You have certainly given your onions and garlic some TLC. Mine tend to get just lobbed in the ground..always works for me!!

    Aren't you a little worried about late frost damaging your plants?? I always worry about planting out too early.

    Having said that...your plot is looking very tidy...think I need to get a lot more done on mine before I take any photos..lol

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    1. Frost won't harm the alliums Tanya. garlic actually likes it. Any of the more tender plants won't be out for a while yet.

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  4. I planted out my onions that i started off in the greenhouse today aswell, there must have been somthing in the air!
    you can never have to many onions...Can you?
    and as for the onion soup make sure you have some cheesy croutons with it its amasing!

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    1. I guess it was a strong smell of onions Stacy! They definitely needed to go out as they had a really good root system which in the case of the shallots was coming out of the bottom of the pots.

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  5. Hi Sue, you've got some great looking starts from the greenhouse, they really did well over winter. I'm with Kelli, it all looks so tidy! I hope you have better luck with your onion crop staying good after harvest this year. Cheers, Jenni

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    1. The only trouble now Jenni is that we have taken steps just in case the onions don't store well again - if they do we will need a dedicated onion store. Onion Marmalade?

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  6. Well arranged plot! Really amazing! Onions are a must in cooking!
    I must worked out my little garden now......

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    1. Onions are in just about every recipe Malar that is true

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  7. I'm also a believer that you can never have too many onions. I might have changed my mind at the end of this season though.

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    1. I noticed that you had planted out your onions too Lottie.

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    2. Yours put mine to shame. I'm taking a leaf out your book next time.

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  8. Can you ever have too many onions? - not in my kitchen anyway. Ah I've just read the above and it seems I'm not the only one. Very jealous about how much room you can devoted to them.

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    1. It seems onions are a popular vegetable Liz

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  9. I thought you'd got walking onions when I read the title of the post. My onions and shallots have all started shooting since I started them off in the greenhouse so I must get them out soon.

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    1. Onions a bit like triffids Jo? A scary thought!

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  10. So many allium there looking good. Wish we have bigger space to grow them more. We are not growing them this year since we are moving middle of the year. So I hope you share some of your harvest with us later virtually.

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    1. Have you to find a new home yet or do you know where you are moving to Diana? Just wondered whether you had chance of a bigger garden in your new place.

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  11. Everything looks very sturdy you should have a great harvest from the look of it. My garlic looks different to yours the leaves are standing proud of the bulb on a stiffer stem - perhaps it is hard-neck garlic (the stem is darker in colour) - what do you reckon?

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    1. Some of ours are hard neck too Elaine. It's difficult to see from the photos but some of the leaves on some plants are stiffer and more upright than on others.

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  12. Love your Picasso Shallots. I have planted the same one but have put them straight in the ground about a weeks ago and already have a good two inches of growth. I have not grown these before but am very happy with how they have started off.. www.lorrainesvegpatch.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Lorraine and welcome - sorry for the delayed response but we were away on holiday. We grew Picasso last year and were happy with it. Our sets came early which is why we start them in pots. I promise to visit your blog soon.

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