Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi All ,I have just been out to inspect the plot and to my dismay the red onions have sent up flowering spikes is there anything I can do or is it a case of starting again although it seems a bit late .
I cant remember what type they are just that they were sets from wilkos.
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks
Bitzy

Hi Bitzy

I'm afraid the crop is lost when it flowers. Your onions have been conned by the cold followed by hot weather into thinking it is next year and time to set seed. It's rather too late to plant onion sets for summer cropping now - though you could look into overwintering onions (no experience of them).

The lesson for next year is - don't buy from Wilko's because they look cheap. Buy heat-treated sets such as Red Baron.

Alternatively, grown from seed they seldom flower.

I've got the same problem with my Red Baron this year (also from sets, although not from Wilko's). I spotted a couple of flowers on Friday!

What really surprised me is how early they have done this - they have not even begun to fill out yet. Personally, I've never had any onions go to seed on me this early in the season before!

I also notice that my lottie neighbour's overwintered onions (not red ones) are doing the same. Looks like being a bad season for onions around these parts.

Thanks for the advice all ,They seemed to be doing so well ,I would agree with you Alan I will give Wilkos a wide birth next year and buy from the seed catalogue cheap isnt always cheerfull .I reckon I will step it up next year and try from seed.
Many Thanks
Bitzy

We buy heat treated sets and they really are good value - we always had some flowering before that.

I'm the same as glallotments, its heat treated red onion sets for me.