From: T@invalid.invalid   
      
   On 2020-07-28 06:10, Nyssa wrote:   
   > 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   
   >   
      
      
   I like the no waste thing too.  I pull up the runts   
   and cook up the whole thing, stems and all.   
      
   One of my issues is that small seeds have to grow to   
   the point where the earwigs don't get them.  I have   
   caught earwigs following the stem down the hole to   
   the seed.   
      
   So I have to plant early.  Fall, after the first freeze,   
   which kills off the earwigs for the season, would get   
   the seeds to spout and grow to a size the earwigs would   
   leave them alone come spring   
      
   I have no problems with large seeds like squash and   
   cucumbers.  And earwigs don't like my purslane sprouts.   
      
   I also noticed that onions, that have got away from me   
   and overwintered, bulb up in early July.   
      
   I am now trapping earwigs with   
       https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087ZPCQ2Y   
   five traps and bait for $35.  They are expensive,   
   but they do work and are weather proof.  They are   
   catching some kind of tiny mite too.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)