From: Nyssa@LogicalInsight.net   
      
   songbird wrote:   
      
   > T wrote:   
   > ...   
   >> I want to plant seeds in late fall   
   >>   
   >> I am wondering about covering them.   In the romcom, come   
   >> spring, she removed the straw mats to reveal 2 to 4"   
   >> plants   
   >> growing under the mat.  Then she transplanted them.   I   
   >> won't be transplanting.   
   >   
   >   so you want to plant seeds and expect them to   
   > survive until spring and then to start growing?   
   >   
   >   i guess you could try it and some will take but   
   > the spacing and thinning will likely need to be   
   > adjusted otherwise you won't get very good results   
   > if you are trying to get onion bulbs.  if you are   
   > instead just interested in green onions then you   
   > can plant more seeds more closely spaced and then   
   > pull and thin as they develop and eat what you   
   > remove.   
   >   
   >   
   >   songbird   
      
   I did this last winter, without the straw mats.   
      
   I planted onion seeds (Gladstone, which is a day-neutral   
   variety) in a huge pot in late September/early October.   
      
   We had a relatively mild winter, but even with some   
   sleet and snowy days, the sprouts did fine with little   
   growth over the winter months, then picked up pretty   
   much where they left off once the milder temperatures   
   began.   
      
   I've been eating the small onion bulbs all spring and   
   summer so far, with many having died back. A few are   
   still showing green and one has started to flower/seed.   
   I'll let that one do its thing and hopefully get some   
   automatic re-seeding out of it into the same pot.   
      
   I didn't do any thinning of the onion plants early on,   
   so the resulting bulbs aren't very big. Next time, I'll   
   thin 'em to get bigger bulbs. (Although I like the small   
   ones since they're just big enough to slice for a big   
   salad or stir fry with no leftovers.)   
      
   I'd say to give it a try. You might want to add a bit of   
   mulch once the seeds sprout if you live in a colder area   
   that I do (SE VA). The most you'll lose is the price of   
   the seeds if it doesn't work out.   
      
   Nyssa, who likes to experiment with over-wintering or   
   late season crops like onions and carrots   
      
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