A slightly better day today. Well it wasn't snowing, nor raining, but it was still cold. Despite the near artic conditions I decided to brave the weather this afternoon and plant my onion sets. These had been awaiting their day of planting for almost a fortnight, so it really was time to free them from their brown paper bags and immerse them in their loamy bed.
The time spent bringing up barrow loads of compost, digging it in, firming up the ground and raking certainly warmed me up. The planting of the sets was a cooler occupation. When I am planting things or sowing seeds I cannot abide the restriction imposed by gloves. I need to feel what I am doing. The downside is that in cold weather the old digits can become very cold very quickly. Between the white and red onions I ended up with nine rows. I have planted the sets approximately six inches apart, with about ten inches between rows.
Onion sets are are quite hardy so I have no qualms about possible late cold snaps. One can purchase onion sets which are designed for autumn planting. I have tried them on two occasions but neither time was a great success. The bulk of the young onions did not survive the rigours of a winter in Northern Ireland.
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