Preparing For Next Year and Giant Onion Progress

Giant Onion Progress - 25 Days from Sowing

The seedlings have continued to progress quite well and the third leaf has just started to emerge. At this point the main thing is to get some good root growth. It will probably be another 7 to 10 days before I move them onto the next pot size. 

The one job I have done is stake the onions to give them support. Last year I did not do this soon enough and then battled to keep the bulbs upright. 

.

I have grown far more seedlings than I need and will start selecting those I think are the best when I pot them up. I probably have space for 8 plants but will always be tempted to keep a few more.

Long Runner Beans

The best Runner Bean I have grow so far is 31.5 inches, sadly like many other growers it did not quite survive until the Malvern Show in September. I have started my preparation for next year by digging a trench ready to be filled with all sorts of plant waste which will rot down. When the trench is full I will cover it, the compost will prove moisture around the roots which beans love as well as the additional nutrients. If the rotting process has not finished then there may be a little heat early in the season.

If you are wanting long beans then you will need to find someone who is offering the right selection. I did not dry my personal collection off properly this year, so will have to source some new seed. 

 NB. Although we don't have giant select seed at JustSeed Ltd, we do have a range of selected "Exhibition" varieties should you wish to make a start somewhere. 

Nick is one of the directors of JustSeed Ltd and has been growing giant veg for a number of years as well as many other interesting and unusual plants