Know Your Onions - Get Ready, Get Sets, Go!

Every year I go to Limmings in Holbeach and I purchase one bag of Red Baron onion sets, one bag of Stuttgarter onion sets and one bag of Sturon onion sets. Put simply, sets are miniature onions which grow into big onions.
This gives me a whole bed full of onions. They are simple to grow - just plonk them in the ground about mid March and keep them weeded. That's it. The worst problem I have ever encountered is a few of the onions bolting if the weather is warm and dry.

This year however Limmings has shut down. I could still hunt around for onion sets in other shops but it seems like a good time to try something different.

So this year I have ordered onion seeds.
The advantage is that many more varieties are available. Also they apparently are capable of growing to a larger size than those started from sets as long as they are started early.

I have six packets - Red Onion Brunswick, Stuttgarter, Sturon, Globo, Sweet Spanish Yellow and Long Red Florence. I have a lot to learn. I do know that they need to be started quite early. I also know that they can be multisown in modules and planted out in groups.



So last night I sowed 6 trays of onions. We will see what happens throughout the year.

Just in case things go wrong, I have also purchased a small amount of onion sets which were on sale as part of the Potato Day last week.

I also sowed my first rows of carrots in the polytunnel today and half a row of turnips.

Things are starting to move.