Deker 3,450 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 Pigeons gone silly this year, never had so much grief, weeds also doing well! 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 65 years of age. Gardened since about the age of 11 and never heard of block onions. I've asked all the local lads and they agree. All we can surmise is that you set 3/4 plants together to create a block but surely this condenses the size. Why would you do this.? I've just had a response from Agrigem regarding the Alium leaf miner problem and the result is that there is no solution. I took the problem to heart and no longer have an onion bed. They also suggest that if I have the same problem in my leeks then do the same. However, having only put them in I've decided to let things progress. Same problem as Deker with pigeons. They are a real menace at the moment. For the first time ever, having set a couple of rows of mixed leaf salad the beggars have done the lot. Normally they just attack my brassicas but obviously they have a new diet. Thought I'd pick my Strawbs for Sunday dinner only to find that the slugs/snails thought the same. Bummer. Not only that, my broad beans are not a happy family. They look really awful and not because of black fly. What the heck is cabbage root fly? We seem to be diagnosing new problems on a daily basis ffs. At the moment, if I'm being totally honest, an allotment is a liability. Everything seems to be against us and the loss of chemical help is not really helping. We'll end up growing radish, herbs and whatever a greenhouse can sustain. Jok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vfr400boy 3,112 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 2 hours ago, jok said: 65 years of age. Gardened since about the age of 11 and never heard of block onions. I've asked all the local lads and they agree. All we can surmise is that you set 3/4 plants together to create a block but surely this condenses the size. Why would you do this.? I've just had a response from Agrigem regarding the Alium leaf miner problem and the result is that there is no solution. I took the problem to heart and no longer have an onion bed. They also suggest that if I have the same problem in my leeks then do the same. However, having only put them in I've decided to let things progress. Same problem as Deker with pigeons. They are a real menace at the moment. For the first time ever, having set a couple of rows of mixed leaf salad the beggars have done the lot. Normally they just attack my brassicas but obviously they have a new diet. Thought I'd pick my Strawbs for Sunday dinner only to find that the slugs/snails thought the same. Bummer. Not only that, my broad beans are not a happy family. They look really awful and not because of black fly. What the heck is cabbage root fly? We seem to be diagnosing new problems on a daily basis ffs. At the moment, if I'm being totally honest, an allotment is a liability. Everything seems to be against us and the loss of chemical help is not really helping. We'll end up growing radish, herbs and whatever a greenhouse can sustain. Jok. I get them off a lad that delivers them to Market gardens and plant growers they come in plugs all with 3-5 what look like spring onions in , Iv had them off him for 3 years now they never go to seed and store very well I will get some pictures tomorrow for you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
terryd 8,024 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 1 minute ago, vfr400boy said: I get them off a lad that delivers them to Market gardens and plant growers they come in plugs all with 3-5 what look like spring onions in , Iv had them off him for 3 years now they never go to seed and store very well I will get some pictures tomorrow for you I do same sow 4 seeds in a module. Same with beets 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
terryd 8,024 Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arry 18,510 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Jok Cabbage root fly the little blighters lay a egg next to the stem of a cabbage plant and the grub eat away the root, you can have a lovely row of Purple Spouting Broccoli then you see one or two start wilting. If you then get hold of the plant it will come away from the ground with little or no roots. I'm quite interested in these Block Onions I have not heard of them as well. I had to give up on Onions I had some minute grub thing that used to eat the roots looked like wooly aphids on the base of the Onion, can't remembered what it was called but information said give up growing them for seven years. Maybe it's time I could try again been a long time. Cheers Arry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Never heard of either but will give the onions a go next year. Jok. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arry 18,510 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 4 hours ago, jok said: Never heard of either but will give the onions a go next year. Jok. Anybody got a variety name for them please. Cheers Arry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
terryd 8,024 Posted June 20, 2019 Report Share Posted June 20, 2019 Can use any variety Arry that takes your fancy 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Gooner 143 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 12 hours ago, terryd said: Can use any variety Arry that takes your fancy Good video Terry might give this ago later this year Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vfr400boy 3,112 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 That’s them now I will get a pic as they grow 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 It's making me smile. Just been having a libation with Tony Glover who holds the Guiness Book of Records record onion. I asked him about this block idea and to be fair he smiled as well. We like to grow onions that top the 10/12 lb mark and obviously bigger and indeed smaller. The idea would do us no good whatsoever but if it produces a sizeable multiple cooking onion then we agree it's a good idea. Going to give it a go nonetheless. Would this still work putting multiple sets together I wonder? Harping back to this Alium Leaf Miner thing, the powers that be are recommending planting in late May which appparantley beats the blighter but how will this effect the planting of blocks as regards time to mature? I'm not going to put up pics of my decimation as it's horrible. I should, however put a pic up of my next door allotment members attempt at reducing risk. (I will soon). He has completely enclosed the plot in framework and scaffold netting but, try as I could not to laugh, there he was, running about, inside, with a cane in his hand trying to clobber a pigeon. Jok. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arry 18,510 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 22 minutes ago, jok said: He has completely enclosed the plot in framework and scaffold netting but, try as I could not to laugh, there he was, running about, inside, with a cane in his hand trying to clobber a pigeon. Jok. Jok i smiled to my self reading that bit, I got nearly every thing under one net or another. Getting a Black bird out or even doing bit of hoeing can be a right laugh. Cheers Arry 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vfr400boy 3,112 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 I only use block onions as they are free and work very well ! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jok 3,035 Posted June 21, 2019 Report Share Posted June 21, 2019 Anything that's free works well. Jok. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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