Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Friday, March 07, 2008

One week in Spring

What a difference just one week can make this time of year. I planted my shallots 'pikant' in modules in the greenhouse just a few weeks ago. The picture above was taken today, the picture below was taken on 1st March just one week ago.

Quite incredible. Onions are fascinating plants I invite you to do a little experiment if you have some planted. Onions are extremely sensitive to day length. At the moment, they are sensitive to the fact that the days are getting longer, and while this is happening they put on lots of green top growth. The sooner you can get them started, the bigger your top green growth will be. Now here comes the good part.. On the very day that the days start to get shorter the hormones in the plant start to sense that it is time to store up food for the Winter, so immediately after this day the tops stop growing and the bulbs start swelling! You watch them! This can be so with many plants but it is more easily visible when you can watch the bulb swelling. Amazing!

3 Comments:

At 1:30 PM, Blogger Paul and Melanie said...

I didn't realise they were so clever! Going to put my onion sets in next weekend all being well so I'll keep an eye on the calender and see what they do. :)

 
At 1:45 PM, Blogger Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

It is a miracle isn't it, how plants respond to the amount of daylight they get.

BTW did the storm do any damage in your neck of the woods?

 
At 4:42 PM, Blogger cd&m said...

Fascinating stuff!

 

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