The Autumn Champion sets I received were all of good quality and size; two thirds were fired up in three inch pots of pre-used compost and planted out in mid to late November when the roots were visible in the drain holes ( one hundred percent start rate );. The onions were planted six inches apart, in open exposed ground consisting of light, well drained soil. Throughout the winter they remained almost permanently in shade ( only catching the briefest of sunlight in the early afternoon) in addition to which they remained uncovered over the winter period. We suffered a prolonged moderate frost lasting well over a week and penetrating four inches into the ground. I honestly thought that I would lose the very young plants ( the leaves had yellowed slightly and the tips had been blasted ) . I am now harvesting the best crop of the largest onions I have grown to date. A small quantity were slightly stunted ( about four to five inches in diameter ) and eight of the onions started to grow seed heads in late May, but the heads were removed and although the stalks were left the onions grew to a good size, staying tight and firm. The remaining third of the sets were sown directly into the ground in April; sadly they succumbed to the extensive dry, hot spell and are nowhere near as impressive, with a few 'misses ' and very slow growth. I believe this to be partly my fault in that I failed to water them sufficiently ( although they received the same quantity as the overwintered ones and were sown next to them in the same soil type ). I will reorder this variety but will not make the same mistake of spring setting; I am confident that their winter hardiness will provide the same result next year. The onion could not be described as strong tasting in my opinion, but nevertheless it has a pleasant flavour, a slight ' heat ' is a very good salad onion and does not overpower the taste of cheese in a sandwich.
Customer Reviews
Write a Review and share your opinions!
23 July 2023
Customers who bought this item also bought:
