I have left many more to grow on to try and get them even bigger. Many are now bigger than the ones I've harvested but there is a danger they could go out of shape. If they stay round and don't go 'pregnant' these will be a real bonus.
I had to pull a leek up yesterday as it had gone to seed. There is no point leaving it when it gets like this. I think it was probably because I neglected the watering during the recent hot weather. No other plants are showing signs of bolting so hopefully I've got away with just losing this one.
At least the onions are now starting to swell. Note the 3 canes around the plant with string tied between them to keep the plant growing upright. The idea is to stop the bulb from slanting to one side and growing out of symmetry.
However, today I took a day off from the plot to go for a short hike with the good lady and mutt to Riber Castle near Matlock, Derbyshire. I spent many a happy day here in my childhood but now it is derelict and fenced off.
Pity, the views from here are fantastic.
3 comments:
I don't think my soil is ideal for shallots as It's from old pasture land and has had so much Nitrogenous fert and Cow Shit added over the years I always get thick necks.
Not a problem for big onions but my shallots are about 1,3/4" dia but the bloody stems are about an inch thick.
Will they shrink down you think?
I have a similar problem as Dan with my Spring planted shallots, which are in a raised bed - bulbs about an inch dia and stems not far behind. Heavy application of farmyard shite last Autumn, perhaps?
I wouldn't get too hung up on that. Nitrogen is leached out of the soil so easily and Dave Thornton (who is also a scientist) insists we should pay more attention to it when feeding plants earlier in the season.
A thick neck signifies plenty of leaflets which eventually leads to bigger bulbs and Dave actually feeds his plants with ammonium sulphate after planting out in order to get more foliage.
I do get quite thick necks but they do dry out in time for the shows which are still some way off. I may lose the odd one or two to neck rot but if you dry them off properly it shouldn't be a major problem.
I was always told that shallots didn't need much feed but I have revised my opinion after several years of bulbs reaching barely 35mm dia. I put a dozen or so pellets of Vitax Q4 underneath each shalot in the planting hole and this season my shallots are huge. As long as they don't go double I may enter a set in the National in Dundee.
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