Onion Sets & Shallots
There are lots of Onion Sets & shallots currently on sale at the Trading Hut and there's just time to plant them.
They are very simple to grow and an almost guaranteed crop.
Plant the small bulbs in rows 15cm. (6") apart leaving space for you to run the hoe easily between each bulb, remembering they will get much bigger. Each bulb should be just below the surface with the tip showing just a bit. (Too much and the birds pull them up thinking they might be worms!)
A little general fertiliser helps but it is essential (as with all onions) to keep the weeds at bay. Onions will not compete with weeds and just give up if you don't keep them weed free. Hence the space for hoeing.
As they mature in mid to late summer the tops begin to fall over and some bend them over to hasten the ripening. You can hasten this by digging a fork under each bulb and easing it up to break the roots.
Once the tops have died back they should be lifted and left somewhere in the sun and sheltered from the rain to dry off completely. Try to leave them upside down so the neck drains out. Drying them completely is the secret success with storage. String them up (plaited, tied up or in the leg of tights) in a cool dry airy place or store in shallow trays. Check regularly to remove any that start to go off.
They are very simple to grow and an almost guaranteed crop.
Plant the small bulbs in rows 15cm. (6") apart leaving space for you to run the hoe easily between each bulb, remembering they will get much bigger. Each bulb should be just below the surface with the tip showing just a bit. (Too much and the birds pull them up thinking they might be worms!)
A little general fertiliser helps but it is essential (as with all onions) to keep the weeds at bay. Onions will not compete with weeds and just give up if you don't keep them weed free. Hence the space for hoeing.
As they mature in mid to late summer the tops begin to fall over and some bend them over to hasten the ripening. You can hasten this by digging a fork under each bulb and easing it up to break the roots.
Once the tops have died back they should be lifted and left somewhere in the sun and sheltered from the rain to dry off completely. Try to leave them upside down so the neck drains out. Drying them completely is the secret success with storage. String them up (plaited, tied up or in the leg of tights) in a cool dry airy place or store in shallow trays. Check regularly to remove any that start to go off.