Planting onions and shallots

Latest post from MARKSVEGPLOT – a blog about food and gardening in England”

Last weekend I planted some “Long Red Florence” onions at my Courtmoor Avenue plot. Using a technique that worked well for me last year, I have been growing them in modules, each containing about 3 or 4 plants, and I have planted them out as blocks – without separating them into individual plants.

I made a sort of ad-hoc raised bed without edges for these plants. I raised a ridge about 30cm high, just like I have used for my potatoes, but this time I tamped the soil down very firmly with the back of a spade.

I placed the clumps about 8 inches apart, allowing the plants ample room to develop.

This is a photo from last year, to show you what I’m hoping for:

I was also able to plant the first half-dozen of the Shallots I rescued from the neglected plot late last year.

I put them at the end of the row of onions. If enough of the others sprout, I’ll start a new row for them. As I’ve said previously, although I have 45 Shallots, I’ll be happy if only 15 of them actually sprout! I just need to grow enough to be able to harvest a decent amount at the right time, and store them properly as my “seed-bank” for next year.

To read more articles like this, on Gardening and Gastronomy, please visit * http://marksvegplot.blogspot.com/ *