As you can see I'm new to gardening and I planted some onion and leek seeds a few weeks ago and now they are both nearly two inches tall.
Could someone please tell me what I do next?
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applestar
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I was experimenting with onion and leek seeds this winter, trying to establish how far ahead to start them. so I can answer part of your question.
I've found that onion seedlings grow fairly deep roots so depending on the container you have started them in, you may want to up pot them. I've noticed that when the little seedlings unfold and double their height, the roots basically double their depth as well.
The way I did it was to simply put the entire mass in a deeper container without separating them. (I started out with 3" deep and put them in 6" deep container). Keep feeding them for now -- I use organic veg fertilizer.
It makes a difference to give them really good light (I used fluorescent lights). I clipped them before they got bent and kinked, if they were getting too tall and flopping over... just enough so they would stand up straight.
One of my books say they can be planted out when they are as thick as a pencil LEAD, another say when they are as thick AS pencils. Store bought plants seem to be the latter size. Because I've been sowing small batches since November, I have them in every size.
Most of mine are outside being hardened off to be planted. I waited until worst of the freezes are over though light frosts are still likely for another 3 weeks. It's potato planting time now.
I've found that onion seedlings grow fairly deep roots so depending on the container you have started them in, you may want to up pot them. I've noticed that when the little seedlings unfold and double their height, the roots basically double their depth as well.
The way I did it was to simply put the entire mass in a deeper container without separating them. (I started out with 3" deep and put them in 6" deep container). Keep feeding them for now -- I use organic veg fertilizer.
It makes a difference to give them really good light (I used fluorescent lights). I clipped them before they got bent and kinked, if they were getting too tall and flopping over... just enough so they would stand up straight.
One of my books say they can be planted out when they are as thick as a pencil LEAD, another say when they are as thick AS pencils. Store bought plants seem to be the latter size. Because I've been sowing small batches since November, I have them in every size.
Most of mine are outside being hardened off to be planted. I waited until worst of the freezes are over though light frosts are still likely for another 3 weeks. It's potato planting time now.
Aren't you sometimes amazed at the difference between advice from "knowledgeable" sources?applestar wrote:. . . One of my books say they can be planted out when they are as thick as a pencil LEAD, another say when they are as thick AS pencils.. . .
Just did a quick search and a pencil is about 5mm; pencil lead is about .5mm. So, a ten-fold difference in size!Maybe we can say that onions and leeks transplant easily.
BML, I think you have gotten excellent advice. I can only add a couple things. Generally, onions like fertile soil and good soil moisture. Yours are probably not ready to add fertilizer . . . but mine are!
They have been in flats since early February and since the gardens are so wet, can't go out quite yet. I didn't turn the heater on in the greenhouse for the 1st 4 or 5 weeks that they were in there - so they had a very slow start. When the overnight temperature plunged to below zero, I had them down on the floor and completely covered - they hadn't emerged yet. This all wasn't quite as planned . . .
After the furnace was turned on, the onions were placed in the coolest greenhouse location and went out into an unheated plastic tunnel just a couple of days ago. By now, their starting soil has been in those trays for about 2 months! But, there have been almost no days that were very warm (or sunny
)- so they are still looking good.The flats of onions were sheared off when they made too much growth a couple of years ago. I wasn't too happy how this was something of a shock to them. I'd follow Applestar's advice on this and only "before they got bent and kinked, if they were getting too tall and flopping over... just enough so they would stand up straight." Last year, I didn't clip them and it doesn't look like they will need it now.
Once they are out in the garden, "worst of the freezes are over though light frosts are still likely" they will still appreciate fertile ground. Keep in mind that you are growing leaves so it is practically like growing grass in a lawn. The bulb is part of the leaves, also.
One tip is not to sprinkle later applications of dry fertilizer on your leeks. Leeks have flat leaves -- the fertilizer (and anything else that falls on them) will get trapped in the leaves and at harvest-time, you will have to split the leek and wash every single leaf before they are used
!Finally, keep the weeds out of them! They do a poor job fending for themselves and while they are tiny, it is really difficult to pull weeds without uprooting the onions. Another good reason to put them in well-prepared ground.
Steve