What has everyone started off?

Need to know the best time to plant?

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alan refail
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RicHard

French beans will not germinate successfully until the soil/compost temperature is at a constant 10C/50F or above.
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
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Parsons Jack
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I've got 2 trays of leeks growing well in the greenhouse and another 2 trays just germinated in the propagator. Swiss Chard growing in pots in the greenhouse.
Gardeners Delight and Shirley tomatoes just germinated in the propagator.
Everything else will have to wait a bit :)
Cheers PJ.

I'm just off down the greenhouse. I won't be long...........
vegpatchmum
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Red onions (for salad or bulb onions) have just started to poke through the compost in my make shift onion/leek propagators (empty washing capsule tubs with drainage holes in the bottom and covered with cling film :)).

Second lot of leeks have also started to show themselves, as have the mangetout seedlings.

Chillis are now emerging from my February sowing and I have 2 varieties of lettuce through as well (indoors).

Outside, the broad beans I planted back in November are finally putting in an appearance. Will be popping down to the greenhouse shortly to check on the cabbage seedlings, leeks and sweet peas.

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Ricard with an H
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I fancy doing some red salad onion but haven't got around to buying seed, any recommendations will be most welcome otherwise i'll have to go for something out of the catalogues and repeats that are queuing up to get into my letterbox. No wonder the seed is so expensive. Harrod, Unwin and Marshall are only second to Saga when it comes to marketing.

Presumably any red spring onion type will be milder than the white ?

My onion and garlic from an autumn sowing look as if they'll be OK, garlic more-so than the onion which look comparatively fragile.
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vegpatchmum
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Hi Richard,

I've sown North Holland Bloodred Redmate (Suttons Seeds). I've never grown them before but the packet reckons these could be used for salad onions or left in for bulb onions, so I thought I'd give them a try :)

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Beryl
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I had 2 half packets of salad onions left from last year. White Lisbon and North Holland Blood red. I have mixed the 2 together and sown a few seeds in modules to plant out later. They will give me a small bunch of mixed to use. Red are slightly milder than the white.

Beryl.
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Ricard with an H
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Beryl wrote: Red are slightly milder than the white.
.


Thats what i'm after, I like spicy and garlicky and oniony but not strong. I'm a working class bloke with a middle-class palate. :D

Are you people transplanting onion from indoors propagated seed with success ? I'm struggling with spring onion.

To be honest I haven't got any more time, the success of this years and all following years growing relies on me getting this wind-break hedge into the ground and growing healthily as fast as is possible so i'm having to pay attention to the soil in the planting trench.

I can't remember where I read this but what it amounts to is that whatever success we fell we've had it's down to the soil. The soil and the weather grow your plants, we can't do much about the weather.

I'm on a mission.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
vegpatchmum
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To be honest Richard, this is the first time I've tried growing salad or bulb onion from seed in this way. I've had poor results, in the past, sowing direct and so decided to try this method for a change - can't do any worse than before :D

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Beryl
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I've never had any propblems growing in modules. I plant out when they are about 3-4 inches tall. They don't get any special treatment. No need to thin them. Provides instant bunches of onions.

Beryl.
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Ricard with an H
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Oh-dear.

I must share my limited experience. A few years back I filled a retired plastic dog-basket that i'd picked up from the tip. About the size for you'd have for a large labrador. I filled it with peat compost, threw some seed in, kept it in a sheltered place (Where the plastic greenhouse lives) watered it regularly and got a decent crop.

Since trying to grow the same crop in soil it's just not worked for me, lot's of top-growth and zero onion or zero.
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
Beryl
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Hope you didn't waste all that top growth Richard. It can still be eaten. The bulb on a salad onions are only small anyway unless you leave them in far too long then they will start to get bigger.

Do what ever works best for you is the real answer.

Beryl.
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Ricard with an H
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Beryl wrote:Hope you didn't waste all that top growth Richard.


Good point Beryl and I do prefer the green parts when the plant is slender, I also have a few chive plants that have over-wintered. I'm not sure what to expect of them, My parsley also over-wintered and grew after being split and re-potted last spring, same with sage.

The top growth I did waste was from the beetroot, if I grow beetroot this year i'm more likely to harvest the top growth and whilst carrot doesn't do very well in my stony soil the beetroot seemed to be very happy though I did use the novice seed called, 'Boltardy'.

My sea buckthorne planting is getting a nice drink today. :D
How are you supposed to start and maintain a healthy lifestyle if it completely removes a wine lover’s reason to live?
Richard.
vegpatchmum
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Ricard with an H wrote:carrot doesn't do very well in my stony soil


Young carrot leaves are good in salads as well - taste mildly carroty (now there's a surprise :D)

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Primrose
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Managed to plant my red onion sets under cloches today and a row of parsnips in between the rain showers.

I've also dug up some surplus little self seeded primose plants and transferred them to the banks alongside a nearby local footpath in the hope that next Spring they will righten up the walk for those who use it.
Wicky
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Aw, that's nice Primrose :) Are they your favourites?

I've got some onion sets started off in cells that are doing well, Monty Don does have his uses after all :wink:
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