Advice for a hopeless gardener

[jennyjj01]

Possible problems
Too cold - this will encourage fungus
Old seed - germinates more slowly/unevenly letting fungus take a hold.
Too wet - seed drowns. tisfsue or compost should be damp not wet.

Probably all of the above, especially too wet.

If you try again use cooled camomile tea to water

Useful to know. I'll try that.

[jennyjj01]

ONIONS Rest In Peace Dammit, the wind has done for me again!

I had germinated a window propagator full of onion seeds and had given them a week in my poly greenhouse shed thingy and all was well. My tray of tomato seedlings were also put out there to acclimatise.

And what do i find this morning? The poly greenhouse thingy had blown over and all my seedlings were just scattered in a heap of compost. [Expletive EXPLETIVE]

The onion seedlings were barely 3 inches long with about an inch of white root and the martas were not yet on proper leaves.

So, what to do?
By my reckoning these have had their chips as too young to survive. But then again, I had a 1.2 m square bed all prepped for them with my home made compost. So I just 'poked them in with my finger at 6" spacing.

To pay lip service to 'companion growing, I then sprinkled a packet of nantes carrot seeds amongst them and gave it a gentle raking.They live or die and at least have a head start over any weeds.

Optimistically I chucked some protective net over. Should I have raised that off the ground a bit?

Meanwhile, I'm still befuddled by the onion life cycle. IF they survive, do I harvest them later this year?


Are we taking bets on what survives?

[ForgeCorvus]

I think Onions, like carrots, have a two year lifecycle.
Year one, lay in food store.
Year two, flower and seed.

We want to harvest them and eat the food store.

[jansman]

We have just eaten perennials Welsh onions. Other perennials are on the way soon! Zero problems with growing. Perennial plants are the winner.

[jennyjj01]

We have just eaten perennials Welsh onions. Other perennials are on the way soon! Zero problems with growing. Perennial plants are the winner.

Reporting in on the egyptian tree onions..... With some questions...

Of the 10 or so that survived initial growing. there's now about 8 big chunky and well established multi bulblet plants. I gave the treetop bulbs extremely little help and it looks like 3 or so set themselves down and prospered. Some must have died ? I'm sorry to say that I think they were a bit suppressed by weeds.

Not harvested any yet and no intention to. I intend to keep the weeds down this year and encourage them to completely colonise the 1.2 m sq raised bed.

Should I split the established bulbs, or just nurture the new treetop bulbs a bit better? Each surviving bulblet seems to have grown into a cluster like a garlic bulb. Am I OK to pull and split and replant those?

If/when I harvest these for food, do I take the treetop bulblets or the ones in the ground?

[Kiwififer]

That’s the first slugs appearing in my garden.

Buggers.

[jennyjj01]

Optimistically I chucked some protective net over. Should I have raised that off the ground a bit?

Beginners question on protective netting over seeds.....

should it be propped up like a gazebo/canopy or am I ok just laying it on the ground and whipping it off when the seedlings sprout through ( carrots )

[Peter]

That’s the first slugs appearing in my garden.

Buggers.

Many years ago I was told by a very good allotment gardener he spread his slug pellets on Valentine’s day.

[jansman]

We have just eaten perennials Welsh onions. Other perennials are on the way soon! Zero problems with growing. Perennial plants are the winner.

Reporting in on the egyptian tree onions..... With some questions...

Of the 10 or so that survived initial growing. there's now about 8 big chunky and well established multi bulblet plants. I gave the treetop bulbs extremely little help and it looks like 3 or so set themselves down and prospered. Some must have died ? I'm sorry to say that I think they were a bit suppressed by weeds.

Not harvested any yet and no intention to. I intend to keep the weeds down this year and encourage them to completely colonise the 1.2 m sq raised bed.

Should I split the established bulbs, or just nurture the new treetop bulbs a bit better? Each surviving bulblet seems to have grown into a cluster like a garlic bulb. Am I OK to pull and split and replant those?

If/when I harvest these for food, do I take the treetop bulblets or the ones in the ground?

I let my first year ‘grow on’ uninterrupted. Now on year three I’ll take a bulb or two, and let other seeds set in place. Whatever you see fit. The seeds right on the end though , grow like billy o !

[jennyjj01]

Reporting in on the egyptian tree onions..... With some questions...

Of the 10 or so that survived initial growing. there's now about 8 big chunky and well established multi bulblet plants. I gave the treetop bulbs extremely little help and it looks like 3 or so set themselves down and prospered. Some must have died ? I'm sorry to say that I think they were a bit suppressed by weeds.

Not harvested any yet and no intention to. I intend to keep the weeds down this year and encourage them to completely colonise the 1.2 m sq raised bed.

Should I split the established bulbs, or just nurture the new treetop bulbs a bit better? Each surviving bulblet seems to have grown into a cluster like a garlic bulb. Am I OK to pull and split and replant those?

If/when I harvest these for food, do I take the treetop bulblets or the ones in the ground?

Whatever you see fit. The seeds right on the end though , grow like billy o !

Sorry, what do you mean by "The seeds right on the end"? Do you mean the ones to the outside edge of the cluster with new ground available to them?
I guess I should harvest from the middle of the patch because those bulblets have less potential?