Are spring onions a particular variety or normal onions picked
early(thinnings).
when should they be planted--what is the best type--and what preparation is
needed please?

In article , miklol
writes
Are spring onions a particular variety or normal onions picked
early(thinnings).
when should they be planted--what is the best type--and what preparation is
needed please?

'Spring' onions are small bulbing onions grown from seed especially for
salad work and raw eating. The green tops can be chopped in with the
bulbs, or used in the same way as chives. 'White Lisbon' have long been
a very popular variety, but there are several others such as Ishikura,
Summer Isle, Paris Silverskin (also used for pickling) and Ramrod.
Purplette is preferred by those who prefer a red onion. Some people use
the term 'bunching onions' in this context, but those are more correctly
normal sized bulbs picked young when their green tops are delicious.

I have just sown a half tray of White Lisbon, we shall leave them in the
tray and use the onions from there as required. We do that about 4 or 5
times a year and that ensures us fresh picked salad onions all year.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...

I have just sown a half tray of White Lisbon, we shall leave them in the
tray and use the onions from there as required. We do that about 4 or 5
times a year and that ensures us fresh picked salad onions all year.

Alan - do you mean an ordinary seed tray, about 2" deep?

Mary
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

In article , Mary Fisher
writes

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...

I have just sown a half tray of White Lisbon, we shall leave them in the
tray and use the onions from there as required. We do that about 4 or 5
times a year and that ensures us fresh picked salad onions all year.

Alan - do you mean an ordinary seed tray, about 2" deep?

Yes that's right - I pack compost into the tray fairly tight, leaving
just a little space at the top. I make three shallow grooves along the
length with the edge of a piece of glass, then I dribble seed into the
grooves as finely as I can - usually about 12 to 20 in each groove. I
cover the seed with fine compost or sand, then I stand the tray into
about an inch of tepid water until moisture shows at the top of the
soil. The tray is then covered with glass. If I'm doing it no paper goes
over the glass, if Joan is doing it she covers it with newspaper.

The tray is not watered again until the seeds have germinated and are
growing on. The first thinnings are taken very small so as to leave
about ten bulbs growing in each row - and that is about the right time
to begin the next tray, though that varies according to season. We keep
the tray inside, usually in the conservatory for convenience, or in the
polytunnel - the greenhouses are too hot for that job in summertime.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...
In article , Mary Fisher
writes

"Alan Gould" wrote in message
...

I have just sown a half tray of White Lisbon, we shall leave them in
the
tray and use the onions from there as required. We do that about 4 or 5
times a year and that ensures us fresh picked salad onions all year.

Alan - do you mean an ordinary seed tray, about 2" deep?

Yes that's right -

snip instructions ...

Thank you very much for that, it sounds far more convenient than planting
them in precious garden space.

Mary
polytunnel - the greenhouses are too hot for that job in summertime.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.