How To Grow Onion Shallot and Garlic

It's a good time to buy Onions from Marshalls

Guidance supplied by Marshalls  

Every kitchen should have fresh supply of Onions, Shallots and Garlic, adding intense flavours to a huge range of kitchen dishes. Growing them is a pleasure and simple to do. Follow these guidelines for your own harvest of these delicious and versatile vegetables. Planting sets and cloves will give you a great harvest but can be slow to establish and birds do like to pull at them to get to the earthworms below, that have been attracted by the explosion of microbial activity in the rootzone. Using pre-rooted sets and cloves gets the plants off to a quicker start, leading to larger and earlier crops. Plus a lot harder for the birds to pull them up too!

Prepare the soil: Onions, Shallots and garlic prefer an open, sunny site and light, free-draining soil. If you have heavy soil, dig a generous amount of grit and organic matter into the planting area to ensure better drainage. Avoid planting in very heavy or freshly manured soil. Onions are sensitive to acidity, so if you have acid soil add some Garden Lime to the area well before planting, or a Pre-planting Onion, Shallot and Garlic Fertiliser.

Planting: Both autumn and spring varieties can be planted straight outside into prepared soil. Loosen the soil and dig in some Pre-planting Fertiliser for added nutrients.

Plant onion and Shallots with the tips of the sets showing at the soil surface. Onions should be spaced 5-10cm (2-4in) apart with 25-30cm (10in to 1ft) between rows, and shallots 15-20cm (6-8in) with 30-45cm (1ft to 18in) between rows.

Garlic cloves should be planted so the tip of each clove is 2cm (1/2in) below the soil surface. We suggest leaving 15cm (6in) between individual cloves and 30cm (12in) between rows. Plant pre-rooted plugs deeper than the plug they are grown in.

Aftercare: During the growing season, water if the weather is dry and give an occasional feed with a general liquid fertiliser, and keep the area weed free. Keep the water going in especially towards harvest time, as the bulbs can almost double in size in the last 4-6 weeks before harvest.

You might not know, but hardneck garlic varieties may produce a curly flower stem (commonly known as a scape) and cutting this off can increase the bulb size. The scape has a fresh, garlicky flavour that is absolutely perfect for stir fries!

Harvesting: Onions and Shallots can be lifted fresh in summer as soon as they reach a useable size, however if you’re harvesting for storage we recommend waiting until the foliage bends over and dies down naturally before lifting.

When harvesting garlic, we’ve found that a good indication is when their foliage starts to turn yellow and wither. Use a fork to gently remove the bulbs from the ground.

To lift, you should ease your bulbs out of the ground and allow them to dry outside for a couple of weeks (if the weather is fine) or in a well-ventilated greenhouse or shed.

Storing: Onions, shallots and garlic are ready for storage when the skins are completely dry and papery. They should be kept in a light, cool and well-ventilated place. Onions can be braided into long bunches and hung up to improve length or harvest and look great too!

Pests and Diseases: Onions are prone to various fungus-borne diseases, so we recommend trying to rotate their growing position each year so you’re not planting in contaminated soil.

Here are some of the most common pests and diseases to look out for!

Rust disease – Rusty spots form on both sides of infected leaves and break open to release dusty, orange airborne spores. Severe attacks may cause the leaves to shrivel prematurely and will reduce vigour.

Unfortunately, there is no solution or cure to rust disease. We recommend keeping a close eye out for the signs and removing and destroying any infected plants to help it spreading.

Onion white rot – The leaves will start to turn yellow and wilt, which prevents the bulbs from forming properly. A good way to tell if the bulbs have been infected is they will have white, fuzzy spots.

We recommend watching out for rot and removing any infected bulbs from the area to prevent it spreading.

Onion fly – The leaves will start to wilt and turn yellow, preventing the bulbs from developing. Onion fly can affect garlic and leeks as well as onions. The larvae of onion fly live in the soil and eat the roots of the bulb, eventually burrowing into the bulb itself.

Protect your crops with Insect Netting. However, if you do have issues with onion fly, we recommend simply discarding any bulbs.

Onion downy mildew – The leaves will begin to turn yellow and die off from the tip downwards. In wet weather, white mould develops on dead parts often turning a darker colour later. Remove and destroy any affected bulbs.

Onion neck rot – This fungal disease can occur in storage. We have found that to avoid neck rot, you should water regularly and stop feeding in August, in addition to keeping your crops dry after harvesting.

Harvesting Java Maincrop Potatoes

Harvesting three buckets of Java Maincrop Potatoes this morning and removing blue pipe hoops from the onions beds. I spent over 3 hours on the plot but needed a rest between sorting out each bucket load. Overcast but dry and around 14C. Spuds to be shared with Emma (daughter) and Elaine (Sister).

First bucket of Java maincrop potatoes emptied on the large tray on the raised bed. Nice to see some good sized spuds showing and dropping out when I lifted the bucket off.

With my mobility issues there is no way I will go back to growing in the ground, it's potatoes in buckets all the way now.

First Bucket opened out and spuds exposed, ready for the picking

First Buckets worth brushed clean and put in tray, with one really nice Jacket Potato worthy spud.

Second Bucket load of Java Potatoes another good large Jacket Potato worth spud, that's me and Kelly sorted.

Second Bucket load of Java Potatoes another good large Jacket Potato worth spud, that's me and Kelly sorted.

Third Bucket of Java Potatoes, again a nice indication of what I was going to find when I worked my way into the soil.

Green Tray on the left is the first & second buckets of potatoes and in the right tray pre brushed off potatoes, that I brushed clean and bagged up for my sister Elaine. I have another six buckets of Java potatoes yet to harvest. 

Pre Rooted Onion 'Radar' Sets & Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' Cloves Planted

Pre Rooted Onion 'Radar' Sets & Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' Cloves from Marshalls planted into Square Foot Gardening Bed 2 this morning and the woodchip path extended to my allotment entrance. #marshallsgarden

No slugs found in the beer trap on the raised bed or around it. I was hoping to find lots of slugs had bit the dust.  

Marshalls Onion Garlic & Shallot Feed concentrated and specially formulated for garlic and other alliums, slow release fertiliser which is high in trace elements. This should ensures strong bulb development and growth, early ripening and maturity, good skin and bulb firmness sprinkled over the bed. NPK:12:11:18, with trace elements (nitrogen, nitrate, phosphorous, sulphur, copper and calcium).

Ryobi drill and power planter mixed in the Marshalls, Richmoor Compost, Marshalls Onion Garlic & Shallot Feed and original Mel's Mix.

I marked the timber at 200mm either side to give me lines to work off. No hole large enough to push the onions out of the module so I used my little extraction tool and mini trowel

Next I installed the watering irrigation pipe.

Then I transplanted the second row of onions.

Closer view of the onions

Next it was the turn of the Garlic to be potted into place either side of the watering pipe.

Closer view of the Garlic before going into the ground

Garlic potted in deeper than the onions

Garlic and Onions Sets transplanted into SFG Bed 2 

Watered in and covered with debris netting to stop the birds or squirrels pulling them out.

Woodchip path extended over the dumper ruts in the main path in an attempt to stop mud building up on my surgical shoe. 

Getting SFG Bed 2 Ready For Pre-rooted Garlic Cloves and Onion Sets

Marshalls have kindly sent me some of their Pre Rooted Onion 'Radar' Sets & Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' Cloves to trial over winter, along with a 44L sack of Organic Compost and 900g of Onion, Garlic & Shallot Feed Slow release Granules to trial

Beetroots and one loan sweet potato harvested from SFG Bed 2 today

This SFG bed was full to the top earlier this year when I extended it and it has sunk 4" or 100mm

4 sacks of Richmoor Compost that I picked up yesterday added to SFG Bed 2

44L sack of Marshalls Organic Compost added to the middle of the bed and spread out.

Beer traps put in the middle of the bed and around each side.

Tomorrow I will take my power planter to mix the Marshalls Organic Compost Richmoor compost and the original Mels Mix. I may take some crushed egg shells and add that to the mix as well.

#marshallsgarden

Beetroots and one loan sweet potato harvested from SFG Bed 2 today

This bed was full to the top earlier this year when I extended it and it has sunk 4" or 100mm

4 sacks of Compost that I picked up yesterday added to SFG Bed 2. John arrived and saw me struggling with the sacks and grabbed a couple off the pile for me and left them on the bed for me to empty. I love my plot neighbours they are so helpful and kind.

Bed looking much better for the 4 sacks or 160 Litres of Richmoor Organic Compost that was added. 44L sack of Marshalls Organic Compost added to the middle of the bed. Another 4L but was significantly lighter than the Richmoor compost. And one can defiantly smell the farmyard manure in it.

44L sack of Marshalls Organic Compost added to the middle of the bed

44L sack of Marshalls Organic Compost added to the middle of the bed gradually spread out over the bed.

Slug Traps around the bed and one in the bed to hopefully catch the slugs and snails that have been attacking my beetroots

Pre-Rooted Onion 'Radar' Sets & Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' Cloves

Marshalls have kindly sent me some of their Pre Rooted Onion Sets & Pre Rooted Garlic Cloves to trial over winter, along with a 44L sack of Organic Compost and 900g of Onion, Garlic & Shallot Feed Slow release Granules to trial 

Pre-Rooted Onion Radar Sets

Onion Radar set are particularly resistant to bolting and is superb when eaten fresh & stores well into the autumn.

Key Features

·          Bolt resistant

·          Prefers full sun

Pack Contents: 12 Pre-Rooted Sets £6.99 

 

·         Superb when eaten fresh & stores well into the autumn.

Radar onion sets are an improved Japanese variety, perfect for autumn planting when they can be harvested from late May. Radar is loved for its mild flavour storage potential; under the right conditions, it will store for about a year. A good variety with resistance to bolting.

Pre-Rooted Sets

Grow bigger, stronger onions ready to harvest earlier in the season with our pre-rooted onion sets! Our innovative NEW format is ideal for Autumn planting and for gardeners with small plots.

Do you know why birds like to pull up your freshly planted onions, it isn't just to see your angry face! No, it is because they are after the earthworms that in turn are attracted to microbes present in the immediate area around the rooting called the Rhizosphere. Microbes feast on the proteins, sugars and dead cells created from the plants roots. However, as these are pre-rooted the birds will find them harder to pull up and should leave them alone. The microbes in turn, provide the plants with essential nutrients and so the cycle continues.

To give you a head start on the growing season, we’ve pre-rooted onion sets into plug trays. Unlike normal sets, which take several weeks to start growing after being planted, these pre-rooted plugs are already rooted and growing when you receive them, ready to plant out. They’ll establish quickly, producing bigger, stronger plants earlier than traditionally planted sets, with less risk of birds or animals pulling out the sets.

Our pre-rooted onion sets are great for gardeners with small plots who only have space for a few plants and don’t want to waste a big bag of sets. There’s no more waiting to see whether all your sets will sprout – you can already see them growing! And if you missed your chance to plant sets earlier in Autumn, these pre-rooted sets are already ahead and no time is lost.

 

Pre-Rooted Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' 

This softneck garlic variety features large, bright bulbs with deep purple streaks and will add a fresh, zingy flavour to your favourite recipes.

Key Features

·          Perfect for pots and containers

·          Prefers full sun

Pack Contents: 12 Pre-Rooted Sets £ 

 

·         Softneck variety

Garlic 'Rhapsody Wight' is a softneck variety that features large, bright bulbs with deep purple streaks and a mottling effect. The bulbs will lift themselves up out of the ground as they grow, ready for harvest.

Historically, 'Rhapsody Wight' originates from the south west of France, and is known as 'en primeur'; the first true garlic of the season. This fresh, zingy variety is full of flavour and is perfect for adding to many delicious recipes. It most definitely deserves the name “Rhapsody”; an ecstatic expression of feeling!

Pre-Rooted Sets

Grow bigger, stronger garlic ready to harvest earlier in the season with our pre-rooted garlic sets! Our innovative NEW format is ideal for Autumn planting and for gardeners with small plots.

Do you know why birds like to pull up your freshly planted onion and garlic, it isn't just to see your angry face! No, it is because they are after the earthworms that in turn are attracted to microbes present in the immediate area around the rooting called the Rhizosphere. Microbes feast on the proteins, sugars and dead cells created from the plants roots. However, as these are pre-rooted the birds will find them harder to pull up and should leave them alone. The microbes in turn, provide the plants with essential nutrients and so the cycle continues.

To give you a head start on the growing season, we’ve pre-rooted garlic sets into plug trays. Unlike normal sets, which take several weeks to start growing after being planted, these pre-rooted plugs are already rooted and growing when you receive them, ready to plant out. They’ll establish quickly, producing bigger, stronger plants earlier than traditionally planted sets, with less risk of birds or animals pulling out the sets.

Our pre-rooted garlic sets are great for gardeners with small plots who only have space for a few plants and don’t want to waste a big bag of sets. There’s no more waiting to see whether all your sets will sprout – you can already see them growing! And if you missed your chance to plant sets earlier in Autumn, these pre-rooted sets are already ahead and no time is lost.

Planting Garlic

Prepare the ground with our Pre-Planting Onion, Garlic & Shallot Fertiliser to ensure strong bulb development and growth, early ripening and maturity, good skin and bulb firmness.

Place the cloves in the soil with their tips around 2.5cm (1in) below the surface. Space them about 15cm (6 inches) apart. Keep rows around 30cm (12 inches) apart.

If the weather is particularly wet, or soil very heavy, start cloves in modules in a greenhouse or under other protection until conditions improve..

Garlic is easy to grow and can be planted in autumn or spring, with the former usually producing bigger bulbs. It can be used freshly harvested, or dried off and stored for later on.

For best results, look for varieties adapted to the UK climate and certified disease resistant.

Where to grow garlic

Choose a sunny, slightly sheltered site with free-draining alkaline soil on which onions and garlic haven’t been grown for at least three years to avoid build ups of disease.

How to prepare the soil for garlic

Dig over the ground to remove weeds and add plenty of well-rotted compost, which will increase nutrients and help retain moisture. Dig in some general purpose fertiliser if the soil is poor. Increase the chances of a successful crop on acid soil by adding lime to increase its pH.

How to plant garlic

Place the cloves in the soil with their tips around 2.5cm (1in) below the surface. Space them about 15cm (6 inches) apart. Keep rows around 30cm (12 inches) apart.

If the weather is particularly wet, or soil very heavy, start cloves in modules in a greenhouse or under other protection until conditions improve.

Autumn-planted garlic can be put in between October and December. The best varieties for this time of the year are ‘Early Purple Wight’ and ‘Provence Wight’.

Spring-planted garlic can go in from January. Go for ‘Solent Wight’, ‘Picardy Wight’ or ‘Lautrec Wight’.

Dropping Off The Richmoor Compost

With my arthritis and current mobility issues the people at the garden centre kindly loaded the sacks for me, but unloading and staking this morning on the allotment was painful and took time.

Stacked behind the Potting Shed as the least amount of carrying from the back of the car

I barrowed and laid a 600mm ish wide woodchip footpath from the metal gates to the point where the main path bends opposite my plot entrance.

View from the metal inner gates

Next job was to lay a woodchip path from the metal inner gates to the corner on the main path, as it's so muddy you end up with a layer of mud on the bottom of your shoes and because of my ulcers I still cant get wellingtons on and I'm still wearing a soft medical boot on my right leg.

My little robin was all around me again today, and followed my progress laying the woodchip path and looking for something to eat in what I was laying.

Crossways Nursery Garden Centre in Purley

I went to Crossways Nursery Garden Centre in Purley just up the road from Wallington Girls School and picked up 10 number 40L sacks of Richmoor Organic Compost being sold at 5 sacks for £10 to add to my raised beds as I build them, replacing the low beds I have at the moment.

With my arthritis and current mobility issues the people at the garden centre kindly loaded the sacks for me

The Greener Gardening Company, the UK retail arm of Irish peat company Bord na Mona (BnM), appears to have closed down, And I'm guessing that's why the Rixhmoor brand compost was being sold off cheap, as it could be a couple of years old. 

Trimming Trees & Laying Woodchips

With the works going on to clear plots 3A, 11 & 11A last week and the fact my car went in for MOT and extensive work, plus the rain I have not been down to the allotment until this afternoon.

I used my mini chainsaw to cut branches off the plum tree and trimmed the tree back that's growing on the path on plot 1A

Limbs off trees laid on the ground ready to be cut down further to go into the bottom of the raised beds.

Rotting timber that formed the bed frame to be cut into lengths that will go into the bottom of the new raised beds.

Tree trimmed and to be cut further once the mini chainsaw is re charged.

View of the bend in the main path by the entrance to plot 1

Wally bless him filled in and leveled the rut in the foot path on the corner opposite my plot 1 entrance and with the trees loosing their leaves the path does not look as bad at it did on Friday.

View down the main path from the corner in the main path opposite the entrance to plot 1

View from in front of my potting shed to the internal metal gate

Woodchip laid inside the metal gate where the sun never gets too and there was a dip in the ground 

Woodchip laid out side the metal gate in the car park side where the sun never gets and there was a dip down under the gate

Woodchip laid out side the metal gate in the car park side where the sun never gets and there was a dip down under the gate that holds water and gets muddy in the Winter.