Hello,

I am growing onions from seed in the greenhouse. No problem.

The seed packet tells me that when I plant them out into the garden I should
plant them 4" apart in rows 12" apart.

Is it OK to plant them out in a 6" by 6" square pattern instead ?

Thanks

KK

"dido22" wrote

I am growing onions from seed in the greenhouse. No problem.

The seed packet tells me that when I plant them out into the garden I
should plant them 4" apart in rows 12" apart.

Is it OK to plant them out in a 6" by 6" square pattern instead ?

Not a problem except for weeding, you might find it difficult getting down
between the rows to weed. You will also have to hand weed when they have
expanded a bit as you won't get a hoe in between them. Onions hate weeds.
We plant our sets out at 9 inches apart and 12 between rows which means I
can still get the hoe between the plants when they have grown and it allows
the onions to grow as big as they want so we get different sized onions
instead of them all being the same size. It also stops cross contamination
with the White Rot fungus we have in our soil.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:43:47 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:



"dido22" wrote

I am growing onions from seed in the greenhouse. No problem.

The seed packet tells me that when I plant them out into the garden I
should plant them 4" apart in rows 12" apart.

Is it OK to plant them out in a 6" by 6" square pattern instead ?

Not a problem except for weeding, you might find it difficult getting down
between the rows to weed. You will also have to hand weed when they have
expanded a bit as you won't get a hoe in between them. Onions hate weeds.
We plant our sets out at 9 inches apart and 12 between rows which means I
can still get the hoe between the plants when they have grown and it allows
the onions to grow as big as they want so we get different sized onions
instead of them all being the same size. It also stops cross contamination
with the White Rot fungus we have in our soil.

A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

On 10/03/2010 19:18, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:


A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


Does such a thing exist? I sometimes catch my onions with the Dutch hoe
- I don't think the onions like these little cuts and grazes. Difficult
to always "miss" them sometimes though when weeds are very close and I'm
getting tired after having just hoed several rows of them.

Perhaps accounts for the handful of rotten onions when I harvest them?

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"David in Normandy" wrote
®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:
A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


Does such a thing exist? I sometimes catch my onions with the Dutch hoe -
I don't think the onions like these little cuts and grazes. Difficult to
always "miss" them sometimes though when weeds are very close and I'm
getting tired after having just hoed several rows of them.

Perhaps accounts for the handful of rotten onions when I harvest them?

I use the smaller of the two Wolf Push Pull Weeders which has end guards so
it's much easier using it between plants, it's also self sharpening.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:40:32 +0100, David in Normandy
wrote:

On 10/03/2010 19:18, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:


A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


Does such a thing exist?


Certainly,

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Onion+S...Hoe+558613.htm

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Gardeni...Hoe+558613.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002W5V7W...linkCode= asn

http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Garden...1-119fb73c0495



--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

On 10 Mar, 23:03, wrote:
A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well

Does such a thing exist?

Certainly,

How odd. most of those use the same text and picture. Are dobies &
suttons the same company now?

On 11/03/2010 00:03, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:
On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:40:32 +0100, David in Normandy
wrote:

On 10/03/2010 19:18, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:


A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


Does such a thing exist?


Certainly,

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Onion+S...Hoe+558613.htm

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Gardeni...Hoe+558613.htm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002W5V7W...linkCode= asn

http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Garden...1-119fb73c0495




Interesting. Thanks for the links. Maybe worth while investing in one.
One thing made me smile... the Amazon link says the hoe is available
gift wrapped. :-) That would make an interestingly shaped present.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

David in Normandy wrote:
On 11/03/2010 00:03, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:
On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:40:32 +0100, David in Normandy
wrote:

On 10/03/2010 19:18, ®óñ© © ²°¹° wrote:


A proper onion hoe might well prove useful as well


Does such a thing exist?


Certainly,

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Onion+S...Hoe+558613.htm

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Gardeni...Hoe+558613.htm


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002W5V7W...linkCode= asn


http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Garden...1-119fb73c0495





Interesting. Thanks for the links. Maybe worth while investing in one.
One thing made me smile... the Amazon link says the hoe is available
gift wrapped. :-) That would make an interestingly shaped present.

Judging by their catalogues, which both of which I get, they are so
similar that if not the same company they must liaise very closely.

--
Skulking in the low lands of North Staffordshire
Please reply to group,emails to designated
address are never read.

Bob Hobden wrote:
We plant our sets out at 9 inches apart and 12 between rows which means I
can still get the hoe between the plants when they have grown and it allows
the onions to grow as big as they want so we get different sized onions
instead of them all being the same size. It also stops cross contamination
with the White Rot fungus we have in our soil.

I've had terrible trouble with white rot on allotment2. I've tried to keep
all of the alliums on allotment1 this year.

So are you just using a bigger gap between bulbs to try and prevent the
white rot spreading? Does it work? Ours seemed to come in patches so I
assumed it was just patches in the ground rather than being passed between
the plants.