[sipherlucian]

hi folks i was told theres a species of onion that can be sowed in autumn, nobody deems to be able to get them can someone help me?

[michael brenock]

senshyu types can be sown in autumn and mature in early summer, they are far more prone to foliar diseases like cladosporium than spring sown types.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

[sipherlucian]

great thanks for the advice michael!

[Blowin]

If you'd like to go to http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Onion+Sets+and+Shallots/List/ you'll find several types of onions and shallots that can be planted in the autumn for a slightly earlier crop the following year. That may give you an idea of the varieties to look for.

I grew both for a couple of years without any disease (or other) problems but haven't bothered for the last two years. The slight time advantage over spring grown varieties wasn't that important for me and, maybe through inadequate planning, I found it inconvenient to have my couple of rows of pretty stationary onions in the middle of an area I wanted to dig over in readiness for the following year.

With broad beans, for example, planting in November will generally produce a hardier plant that won't succumb to black fly etc as easily as spring grown ones but this principle doesn't seem to apply to the onion family as far as I know.

If you're better than me at planning ahead and like the idea of a July onion harvest, go for it.

[sipherlucian]

"blowin" thanks a lot for the advice and link! thi sis my first year at my allotment so im willing to try most at the moment to get a better feel for next year