Kitchen Garden Forum

Yep, out in the garden tomorrow, start sowing seeds in the green house, I can feel the 'quart in a pint pot syndrome' rising as I thumb through all my seed packets

I need some guidance, I have 100 onion sets 'Centurion', the packet says plant Feb to May . . . end of March? will they catch the frost, do they need any protection? and how deep do I plant, again packet says 6cm? I thought the tops needed to show, seem to remember my Grandad almost laying the sets on top of the soil . . . my sets are not large at 3-4cm high . . . ?

CJS

Evening CJS, March will do just fine.

Regarding the depth, i do the same as your Grandad, plant them so the neck of the set is just below soil level.

You may find the birds pull a few sets out by the whispy bit of dry stalk, so you can either just cut that bit off, or just keep popping them back in the soil until they root.

oldherbaceous wrote:Evening CJS, March will do just fine.

Regarding the depth, i do the same as your Grandad, plant them so the neck of the set is just below soil level.

You may find the birds pull a few sets out by the whispy bit of dry stalk, so you can either just cut that bit off, or just keep popping them back in the soil until they root.

Thanks Oldherbaceouse, where I want to put the onions, seems to get visitors at night, fox or cats?? see foot prints in the soil. So I have some 14mm netting that I will put over, stop birds and the visitors?

On the subject of netting; I'm determined to stop the butterflies/caterpillars on the brassicas this year. I'm confused, some say as protection, use horticultural fleece, I have read 7mm netting will do the job, either would draped over 3ft cains with a ball on the top. Fleece seems to have a 'grade rating'? any advise would be appreciated . . .

CJS

I wouldn't use fleece over the brassicas, CJS, they like the wind whistling round their gills. Fine netting will be much better. We use 18mm netting over our brassicas which is not completely butterfly-proof but does deter them to quite an extent. It is held up by canes with upside down empty plastic water bottles on them. If you keep it on over winter (against pigeons etc), watch out for the weight of snow on it. We had quite a bit of damage last winter.