Cottenham Park Allotments
Cambridge Road, Raynes Park, London, SW20 0PJ
Onions, shallots and garlic
for autumn planting
Onion sets
These can be planted from September to mid-November. Plant the bulbs leaving their tips above the soil surface, and allow about 10 cm (4 in) between sets and 30 cm (12 in) between rows. CPAGA has ordered three varieties for the Shop:
1. Senshyu Yellow, a Japanese over-wintering variety for harvesting in early July.
2. Electric, a red onion ready for harvest in May and June.
3. Radar, Suttons most popular overwintered onion. These mild-tasting brown-skinned onions are ready from mid-July, but green bulbs can be pulled from late May.
£ 2.75 per 250 g pack or 45 pence for 10 sets
Shallots
These can be planted between September and December, allowing 15 cm (6 in) between bulbs and 30 cm (12 in) between rows. GPAGA has ordered three varieties for the Shop:
1. Griselle, multiplies well to give long bulbs in June.
2. Yellow Moon, a yellow Dutch shallot, has low sensitivity to bolting.
3. Longor, an elongated banana-type variety, is easy to peel and slice and sweet flavoured.
£ 3.50 per 400 g pack or £ 1 for 5 bulbs
Garlic
Garlic is easy to grow but needs a period of low temperature for plants to bulb up. Planting in October and November or in early spring provides the necessary chilling period. Garlic prefers an open sunny site and well-drained soil. Apply a general fertiliser like Growmore (2 oz per sq yd, 50 g per sq m) at planting time, followed by a light dressing of sulphate of potash (1 oz per sq yd, 25 g per sq m) in February. Plant individual cloves 2 cm to 3 cm (1 in) deep, 15 cm (6 in) apart.
There are two main types of garlic: hard-necks, which have fewer, larger cloves of stronger flavour and rarely store beyond mid-winter; and soft-necks, which store better. GPAGA has ordered one hard-neck and three soft-neck varieties for the Shop:
1. Edenrose, a hard-neck high-yielding garlic with strong flavour.
2. Printanor, a soft-neck with large bulbs.
3. Germidour, an AGM soft-neck with mild flavour.
4. Messidrom, a soft-neck with excellent flavour.
£ 1.75 per bulb
All available in the Shop from the end of September 2015.