On Tue, 15 May 2018 19:40:15 +0100, Kibbu Ubik
wrote:

On 15/05/18 18:18, Mark Rand wrote:
First post after lurking for a couple of years.

I have some Autumn planted Giselle shallots that are looking a bit pale
compared with the other shallots, onions and garlic around them. I know that
they are supposed to bulb up in June or thereabouts, but I don't think they
are doing that yet. Is it too late in the season to water in a bit of quick
acting fertilizer at this point?


Mark Rand
Rugby
Warwickshire


Onions and shallots respond to a nitrate fertiliser. It was a late
spring so probably not too late to give your shallots a boost. Best to
use a liquid fertiliser rather than water in some granules.


Apologies for not providing feedback earlier.

I harvested the shallots today and have got a fairly unimpressive crop. The
number of bulbs was ok, average of eight for every set planted. The weight was
poor, 1,7kg from 500g of sets. I think that I had underestimated the amount of
space, water and food they needed (first ever experience with shallots). Next
time I grow them I'll either give them twice as much space or feed and water
them intensively.

I also transplanted my leeks into their final positions today and have noticed
the effects of both allium leaf miner and leek moth in more than half of the
seedlings, which will become leek and potato soup tomorrow. As a result of
this, I won't be growing any alliums at all next year, even the chives will
go. The year after, I'll go back to trying to grow them, but they'll all be
under fine mesh and might even get soaked in acetanilide as well.

The Garlic I harvested today was a perfectly reasonable crop :-).

Mark Rand
--
Rugby
Warwickshire.