tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post2136898038129015270..comments2024-03-17T05:30:42.919-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Allium progressMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-40346498184384562102017-03-28T11:17:03.548-04:002017-03-28T11:17:03.548-04:00Thanks Jennifer - onions can be tricky and it'...Thanks Jennifer - onions can be tricky and it's sometimes hard to tell (as with most things, I suppose) exactly what went wrong.<br /><br />If you were to consider giving it another go, perhaps try a day-neutral variety and only sow one cell pack (i.e. minimal commitment), just to see if it works for you.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-56692199582937249112017-03-27T18:17:46.278-04:002017-03-27T18:17:46.278-04:00Even if it was a disappointing allium year for you...Even if it was a disappointing allium year for you, it seems very impressive to me. I have never figured out the growing of onions and leeks. For onions, I was never able to get much of a bulb, despite trying different techniques. I even tried one year with sets... nada.<br />Anyway, hope you have a great gardening year! (I hope we all do).Jenniferhttps://serenitysarcasm.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-45593855621105585542017-03-26T18:49:56.043-04:002017-03-26T18:49:56.043-04:00Oh, I do love my rack - it was inspired by Daphne ...Oh, I do love my rack - it was inspired by Daphne who built a similar one. It sure does make curing onions easy! FYI - it would be super-easy to build a smaller version :)<br /><br />Our weather looks to have finally turned and my "schedule" says that I should be transplanting the onions around mid-April. That means I will start hardening them off in another week or so...which is very good news as they are a space-hog and I really need to free up some shelf space under the grow lights!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-29832218146143336912017-03-26T18:45:21.223-04:002017-03-26T18:45:21.223-04:00There always seems to be some less than perfect as...There always seems to be some less than perfect aspect of the growing season that I can pin the blame on when things go wrong, but it's always hard to say with certainty as so many things can influence how well a plant grows. I can't say that I've had issues with red onions specifically though - they did just as well as the yellow onions back in my good onion years.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-76749532479215969202017-03-26T13:41:47.839-04:002017-03-26T13:41:47.839-04:00I do love your curing rack (never had enough to re...I do love your curing rack (never had enough to really need that type of setup myself). I am just thinking of the few onion seeds I have and better get them into some soil soon (but mostly grow from sets). Hard to believe you are thinking of transplanting onions soon, I still have chunks of ice and snow cover all around!Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-32107435769631340422017-03-26T12:03:03.216-04:002017-03-26T12:03:03.216-04:00Fingers crossed that you have a good year this tim...Fingers crossed that you have a good year this time round. I always found onions hit and miss and I couldn't put the failures down to anything specific, some years they seemed to do well and others they didn't. Red onions were the bane of my life though, I rarely got them to do well for me.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-71139105600604497672017-03-25T18:40:14.722-04:002017-03-25T18:40:14.722-04:00I bet of you try growing some interesting varietie...I bet of you try growing some interesting varieties from seed, you will never go back :)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-59997658480319936922017-03-25T14:56:56.716-04:002017-03-25T14:56:56.716-04:00Our onions and shallots did well last year - we ar...Our onions and shallots did well last year - we are still using them. The autumn planted ones are growing well too.<br /><br />Maybe one year we will try growing from seed.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-53060190066766041562017-03-25T13:00:33.276-04:002017-03-25T13:00:33.276-04:00Yum! The great thing about leeks is that they are...Yum! The great thing about leeks is that they are very amenable to freezing - I wash, slice, bag and then I can enjoy the harvest even in the middle of winter.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-77675582407633761642017-03-25T12:58:37.936-04:002017-03-25T12:58:37.936-04:00If we had a source like Dixondale, I'd likely ...If we had a source like Dixondale, I'd likely use them as well. The only choice we have other than sets are cell packs from a nursery - and the selection on those is just as bad as with the sets. Most people are surprised by the variety that I grow, not so much because I grow a lot but rather that they didn't realize there were so many varieties out there.<br /><br />I'm planning to use the extras as spring onions this year as well & will be comparing those to the perennial bunching onions (although it looks like one of the varieties I grew didn't fare very well over the winter).Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-89225071737173317722017-03-25T12:51:42.647-04:002017-03-25T12:51:42.647-04:00That's a big onion! Judy just made some braise...That's a big onion! Judy just made some braised leeks for dinner - they were really good. Jasonhttp://gardeninacity.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-34438910835151869372017-03-25T11:03:58.710-04:002017-03-25T11:03:58.710-04:00Here's to a great onion year for both of us! I...Here's to a great onion year for both of us! I've got about half seed grown and half seedlings from Dixondale this year, and almost all are new in my garden. It will be interesting to see how the seed vs seedlings compare and if there are any keepers amongst the newbies. It's the same around here so far as sets go, the selection is dismal. It's so much more fun to grow from seed simply because of the choices. Plus growing from seeds means I can grow a lot of extras, hopefully, for harvesting as spring onions.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-19781733498746907552017-03-25T09:35:40.106-04:002017-03-25T09:35:40.106-04:00Sets are certainly easier & less fiddly - just...Sets are certainly easier & less fiddly - just plop them in the ground and away they go. Around here, we don't get much of a selection though - the only set "varieties" are "red, yellow and white"!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-29842355981417199632017-03-25T09:34:32.670-04:002017-03-25T09:34:32.670-04:00Is that because of the heat? I've heard that ...Is that because of the heat? I've heard that in hot climates, you need to set out the seedlings in the fall or winter, so that may be something to consider in the future :)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-53045791125867012022017-03-25T09:33:00.868-04:002017-03-25T09:33:00.868-04:00Here, here! Growing onions from seed takes a bit ...Here, here! Growing onions from seed takes a bit of time and there is a leap of faith when you plant out those itty bitty seedlings in April. It seems almost impossible that they will grow to onion proportions in only a few short months.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-7827903661028722842017-03-24T23:00:16.004-04:002017-03-24T23:00:16.004-04:00Gosh, seeing that curing rack and your harvest rec...Gosh, seeing that curing rack and your harvest records really shows your success! I always start with onion sets--I've never tried to grow onions from seeds. Well, I take that back: Sometimes when they start to go to seed, I pinch off the tops and scatter them in the garden. Now I'm hungry for scallions and onions!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-32580869619299090972017-03-24T21:44:25.487-04:002017-03-24T21:44:25.487-04:00Your onion seedlings are looking great. I've o...Your onion seedlings are looking great. I've only had success with leeks and have pretty much given up on onions. It's fun seeing how such tiny wispy things grow to be so big given time and luck.Phuonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658691564062044986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-36682455085096667882017-03-24T21:08:01.159-04:002017-03-24T21:08:01.159-04:00I still buy onion sets, so it's very interesti...I still buy onion sets, so it's very interesting to see how you start onions from seed. I had a sad onion year last year, too. It got too hot too fast and I had to pull them much too early. Here's to a much better onion harvest in 2017!khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04618838407160052772noreply@blogger.com