In his weekly Jamie’s Little Allotment column, gardener Jamie Marsh turns his attention to onions…
It’s around this time each year that I start thinking about onions. They’re one of those plants that quietly mark the turning of the seasons for me. The beds are becoming clearer now, and the sweetcorn patch, which served us well this year, is about to take on a new job. It will be the onion and garlic bed for the first time, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it does.
Because I follow the no-dig method, I won’t be pulling the old sweetcorn plants out by their roots. I simply cut each stalk off at soil level and leave the roots where they are. They’ll slowly rot away over winter, adding goodness back into the ground. Pulling them up would disturb the soil far too much. Once that’s done, I’ll give the bed a light top-up of compost, just enough to freshen the surface before growing my onions.
Jamie’s onions, ready to plant
When it comes to planting sets, I space them roughly five to six inches apart. I like to plant them deep enough that only the very tip is showing above the surface. If they sit too high, the birds can tug them up, thinking they’ve found a tasty treat, and it’s amazing how much mischief a curious blackbird can cause in a freshly planted bed.
This year, as always, I’ll be growing onions three different ways: planting sets directly into the bed, some in modules, and a few from seed in the greenhouse. The sets in modules and the seeds will stay under cover for now, away from the cold nights. The seeds can take quite a while to germinate at this time of year, but I like to get them started early.
The sets in modules are a handy halfway house. They’ll stay in the greenhouse until the roots have filled out, then I can plant them with minimal disturbance. It also means I can keep an eye on them and give them a drink when needed.
Onions planted in modules
What I like about onions is how simple they are once they’re in. They just get on with it, quietly growing away through winter while the rest of the plot slows down. Apart from the odd bit of weeding, there’s not much to do until spring. It’s a nice feeling knowing something’s happening beneath the surface when most of the beds are resting.
Every year, someone says to me: “Why bother growing things like onions when they’re so cheap to buy?” And I always say the same, because it’s not really about the cost. It’s about the process, the rhythm of sowing and planting, and the satisfaction of lifting something you’ve grown yourself. We use so many onions in our cooking that I think it’s definitely worth growing them; they never go to waste.
Lots of people are planting garlic now, but I tend to leave mine for a bit longer. I find it grows just as well going in later, once the soil has cooled down a touch. If it’s still too warm when you plant, the bulbs can send up fleshy green shoots straight away, which then have to sit through winter. They’ll survive, but I’d rather wait until the ground’s cooler so they stay tucked in until the new year.
So while most people might be winding down for winter, I’m still pottering about, making sure the next season has a good start. Onions might not be the flashiest thing to grow, but they’re steady, reliable, and always worth the effort.
Email me on Jamieslittleallotmentand@gmail.com and let me know what’s going on in your garden.
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