The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

Spring is upon us and we’re still in the thick of sowing season – next up on the agenda is the onions. I’ve got a bag of 80 Sturon onion sets, allowing me to plant at least 8 rows of 10 in my little patch.

Sturon onions is a favourite among growers for its reliability. So much so, it’s achieved an RHS Award of Garden Merit because of its reliability. Sturon is the variety you’re most likely to find at your local garden centre.

They’re said to keep well when dried, and will probably go brilliantly in a bolognese.

Generally, when you’re planting onions, you want to avoid planting them in manured soil. Pick a spot that has lengthy sun exposure and good drainage. Plant bulbs about 2cm in the ground, around 10-15 apart, which rows 20-30cm apart.

I’ve had a real issue with birds picking out the bulbs because they think that the tips of the bulbs are good for making nests, or because they think tips of the bulbs could be food.  My shallots have really suffered because of this.  To combat the onslaught brought by the birds, I’ve got two lengths of string and made an X over the bed – I hoping this will act as a bit of a deterrent.

Onion fly is also meant to be a little bit of a problem if you’re not planting these in raised beds, so later on in the year, I’ll be looking to plant some mint in the space that I have left at the end of the bed.  Mint, along with other herbs is a good deterrent to pests because of the mixture of scents.