Onion Hoe £11.99
With a swan neck for hoeing and cleaning around your onions, this top quality hoe is a must for any vegetable enthusiast, and equally invaluable for general cultivation. Handcrafted in Sheffield steel with a hardwood handle. Overall length 33cm (13).

Lovely hand tool for hoeing around onions.

Delicious pickled! Easy to grow. Why not try some this year.

Shallot Triple Pack – Spring Planting £9.99
Pack of tasty shallots contains 3 different varieties – 400g pack of each:Jermor – An excellent, slightly elongated shallot, with copper-coloured skins and great tasting pink-tinged flesh. Each bulb yields 6-8 bulbs at harvest. Plant from mid January onwards. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Golden Gourmet – This superb variety will consistently produce heavy crops of good flavoured shallots that keep well for several months. Plant from February onwards. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. A great beginner variety.Red SunA red variety producing large, tasty shallots with a distinctive spicy taste. The skins are firm and bulbs solid, and they will store for months! Plant from February onwards.

Shallot Seeds – Obelisk £1.69
A marvellous variety which is well suited for northern Europe growing conditions. It’s a red-brown colour on the outside and an attractive pink inside.

Shallot French Bulbs – Pesandor £4.99
Producing elongated bulbs with copper-coloured skins and flavoursome pink flesh. Each bulb yields 6-8 bulbs at harvest. Plant from mid January onwards.Grown in Brittany, in the heart of Frances main shallot growing region, these superb certified varieties are of superior quality and will produce an outstanding crop for you.

Shallot French Bulbs – Jermor £4.99
An excellent, slightly elongated shallot, with copper-coloured skins and great tasting pink-tinged flesh. Each bulb yields 6-8 bulbs at harvest. Plant from mid January onwards. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner.Grown in Brittany, in the heart of Frances main shallot growing region, these superb certified varieties are of superior quality and will produce an outstanding crop for you.

Shallot Bulbs – Yellow Moon £3.99
An attractive and tasty, round, yellow dutch shallot, with excellent skin quality and a low sensitivity to bolting, which makes it a good choice for autumn planting. It reliably produces a good crop of healthy shallots which should be ready to harvest in June/July. 400g pack.

Shallot Bulbs – Triple Pack £9.99
Pack of tasty shallots contains 3 different varieties – 400g pack of each:Griselle – A robust spicy taste that will not disappoint! Best planted October to mid December, it multiplies well to give a good crop of long, grey-skinned bulbs in June. Use green or dried for storage well into winter.Yellow Moon – An attractive and tasty, round yellow dutch shallot, with excellent skin quality and a low sensitivity to bolting, which makes it a good choice for autumn planting. It reliably produces a good crop of healthy shallots which should be ready to harvest in June/July.Longor – An excellent elongated banana-type variety with copper coloured skins and pink flesh. Each shallot yields 6-8 bulbs at harvest. Very easy to peel and slice. Great tasting sweet flavour!

Shallot Bulbs – Red Sun £3.99
A red variety producing large, tasty shallots with a distinctive spicy taste. The skins are firm and bulbs solid, and they will store for months! Plant from February onwards.

Shallot Bulbs – Red Gourmet £4.49
An early-to-mature, red-fleshed variety with a spicy taste, excellent for use in salads and cooking. Plant from February onwards.

Shallot Bulbs – Longor £3.99
An excellent elongated banana-type variety with copper coloured skins and pink flesh. Each shallot yields 6-8 bulbs at harvest. Very easy to peel and slice. Great tasting sweet flavour! Harvest June-September. 400g pack.

Shallot Bulbs – Griselle £5.99
A robust spicy taste that will not disappoint! Best planted October to mid December, it multiplies well to give a good crop of long, grey-skinned bulbs in June. Use green or dried for storage well into winter.

Shallot Bulbs – Golden Gourmet £3.99
This superb variety will consistently produce heavy crops of good flavoured shallots that keep well for several months. Plant from February onwards.. A great beginner variety.We would also recommend Shallot French Bulbs – Mikor

Shallot Banana Seed – Zebrune £2.49
Delicious, large, elongated shallot onion hybrid type bulbs that are brown-skinned with a pinkish tinge. Best grown in a sandy, well drained soil.Popular with TV and Michelin starred chef as it is easy to peel and slice plus retains its flavour well when cooked.

Shallot Banana Plants – Zebrune £5.99
This elongated shallot x onion hybrid is favoured by top chefs for its delicate flavour and the ease of use of the long single bulb compared to traditional shallots. Good resistance to bolting.(White variety.) These superb vegetables combine the subtle taste of sweet shallots, but they’re as large and as easy to peel as an onion!

Shallot Banana Plants – Twin Pack £9.99
These superb vegetables combine the subtle taste of sweet shallots, but they’re as large and as easy to peel as an onion! Twin Pack contains 90 plants (45 of each variety):Zebrune (White) – This elongated shallot x onion hybrid is favoured by top chefs for its delicate flavour and the ease of use of the long single bulb compared to traditional shallots. Good resistance to bolting.Simiane (Pink) – This torpedo-shaped variety has mild sweet flesh that forms in tender, rose-coloured rings. It is truly versatile in the kitchen and can be used young as a bunching onion or left to mature for uses from stock and soups to putting on a skewer on a BBQ.

Shallot Banana Plants – Simiane £5.99
This torpedo-shaped variety has mild sweet flesh that forms in tender, rose-coloured rings. It is truly versatile in the kitchen and can be used young as a bunching onion or left to mature for uses from stock and soups to putting on a skewer on a BBQ. These superb vegetables combine the subtle taste of sweet shallots, but they’re as large and as easy to peel as an onion!

Shallot (Banana) Seeds – Simiane £2.49
This torpedo-shaped variety has mild sweet flesh that forms in tender, rose-coloured rings. It is truly versatile in the kitchen and can be used young as a bunching onion or left to mature for uses from stock and soups to putting on a skewer on a BBQ. A sweet flavoured variety favoured by Michelin starred chefs! (Onion/shallot hybrid).

Start off in modules and then plant out.
Very fun to grow from seed rather than always growing from sets. I got good results last year from seed.

Onion Seeds – Ailsa Craig £1.55
Large bulbs often used for exhibition. To ensure colour, shape and finish sow in January under glass at 18-21C (65-70F). Can also be sown outdoors in March and April. Not recommended for long storage. Bulb onion variety.

Onion Seeds – Bedfordshire Champion £1.75
Globe-shaped maincrop for spring sowing. A solid onion which keeps well. Bulb onion variety.

Onion Seeds – Exhibition £3.49
Aptly named, this is the best onion for showing for many a while! Whether you are a serious exhibitor or just someone who wants to take a crack at the village show, its worth giving this one a try. Weights can get up to 1000gms, yet the flavour is still maintained and unusually for a large onion, it also stores well.Onions up to 1kg (2.2lbs) and aboveFor shows or culinary useStores well for a large onion

Onion Seeds – F1 Bridger £3.49
A Japanese type over wintering hybrid. Has excellent bolting resistance. Flattened globe shape and thick smooth skin.

Onion Seeds – F1 Kamal £2.79
A first-class, deliciously flavoured onion with a good strong red colour, both inside and out. The bulbs are a very uniform round to globe shape, with thin necks, show good tolerance to mildew, and store well.

Onion Seeds – F1 Santero £3.99
A superb early maincrop onion with excellent resistance to Downy Mildew. Produces a heavy crop of delicious copper-brown, round-oval bulbs. Shows good resistance to bolting and stores well too.

Onion Seeds – Globo £2.79
A very large onion which is ideal for exhibition or the kitchen! The oval-shaped, straw-coloured roots are tasty in salads or cooked, with an average weight of 250-300g (up to 1kg when grown for exhibition).

Onion Seeds – Kelsae £3.49
First introduced in the early 1950s Kelsea is still one of the most popular exhibition onions. This attractive onion regularly achieves record weights and, unusually for show onions, has an exceptional flavour.

Onion Seeds – Paris Silverskin £1.75
Paris Silverskin is a tasty onion that’s excellent for salads or pickling. Easy to grow, there’s no thinning required.

Onion Seeds – Red & White £2.50
Contains Redmate & Agostana in equal quantities. Harvest August-September.Bright red and pure white fine flavoured bulbsSuperb quality, crisp, tasty fleshGood storage abilityFor use in salds and for cooking25p from the sale of each promotional pack goes to Cancer Research UK.

Onion Seeds – Senshyu Semi-Globe Yellow £2.79
Good crop of round, straw-coloured bulbs by early July. Recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany. Japanese bulb onion variety.

Onions are easy to grow from sets. Almost foolproof!
Don’t plant them in very wet soil though as they’ll rot. If you start them in modules then they get off to a better faster start and in theory you should get much better size bulbs. They bulk up after the middle of the year when the daylight starts to shorten again, so you need to have very good strong plants by then so they can finish off.

Onion Triple Pack – Spring Planting £7.99
Onions are one of our most invaluable vegetables and also one of civilisation’s oldest medicines. They can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and are anti-asthmatic, antibacterial and antiseptic. This triple pack contains a 250g pack of the following three varieties:Red Arrow – Produces a very early crop of round, mild-flavoured bulbs. Should be 4-5 weeks earlier than Red Champion. Sturon – A well known and flavoursome variety which produces round, straw-coloured, medium-sized onions just right for the kitchen. Being quite thin-necked they keep extremely well through the winter, remaining in good condition right through until February/March. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Rose de Roscoff – A traditional rosy-coloured French market variety, introduced in the 17th century, passed down through generations of skilled growers, with a Designation of Protected Origin (like Cornish pasties). Its texture feels juicy and crunchy in the mouth and it has a fruity and sweet taste, with a slight sharpness. After cooking its texture becomes tender and the sharpness gives way to a sweet taste. Stores very well – can often be kept until the spring of the year following its harvest!

Onion Sets – Triple Pack £7.99
Onions are one of our most invaluable vegetables and also one of civilisation’s oldest medicines. They can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and are anti-asthmatic, antibacterial and antiseptic. This triple pack contains a 250g pack of the following three varieties:Electric – Produces outstanding quality, shiny, deep red semi-globe-shaped onions with excellent flavoured pink tinged flesh. Ideal for over-wintering, plant in autumn-early winter for harvest May-June.Radar – Our most popular over-wintered onion, producing superb pale-to-mid brown skinned onions from mid July. Green bulbs can be pulled from late May. Bulbs have firm flesh with a mild taste and keep well until autumn.Senshyu Yellow – An extremely popular Japanese over-wintering variety, reliably producing a heavy crop of semi-globe-shaped, straw-coloured bulbs of excellent quality, which should be ready to harvest in early July.

Onion Sets – Stuttgarter £3.49
A British favourite which can be planted earlier than normal varieties. Well known for its sweet, mild taste. Stores very well.

Onion Sets – Sturon £2.99
A well known and flavoursome variety which produces round, straw-coloured, medium-sized onions just right for the kitchen. Being quite thin-necked they keep extremely well through the winter, remaining in good condition right through until February-March. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner.

Onion Sets – Senshyu Yellow £3.49
An extremely popular Japanese over-wintering onion, reliably producing a heavy crop of semi-globe-shaped, straw-coloured bulbs of excellent quality, which should be ready to harvest in early July.

Onion Sets – Rose de Roscoff £3.99
A traditional rosy-coloured French market variety, introduced in the 17th century, passed down through generations of skilled growers, with a Designation of Protected Origin (like Cornish pasties). Its texture feels juicy and crunchy in the mouth and it has a fruity and sweet taste, with a slight sharpness. After cooking its texture becomes tender and the sharpness gives way to a sweet taste. Stores very well – can often be kept until the spring of the year following its harvest!

Onion Sets – Red Ray £3.99
This is a uniform variety with an excellent skin, great flavour and is a beautiful ruby colour. Due to its strong root system this variety is very productive and is suitable for long term storage. Heat prepared onion sets.Why buy heat treated onion sets? – It’s frustrating when your beautifully forming onions decide it’s time to develop seed and send up a flower stalk. Heat treating is a process that we carry out on your behalf to prevent this happening.

Onion Sets – Red Champion £3.49
A flavoursome maincrop, thin necked semi-globe to globe shaped, deep red onion. Very good for overwinter storage. Harvest June-September. 250g pack.

Onion Sets – Red Arrow £3.49
Produces a very early crop of round, mild-flavoured bulbs. Should be 4-5 weeks earlier than our popular autumn planting variety Red Champion.

Onion Sets – Radar £3.49
Our most popular over-wintered onion, producing superb pale-to-mid brown skinned onions from mid-July. Green bulbs can be pulled from late May. Bulbs have firm flesh with a mild taste and keep well until autumn.

Onion Sets – F1 Santero £3.99
At last an onion resistant to Downy Mildew. A superb early maincrop variety which reliably produces a heavy crop of delicious copper-brown, round-oval bulbs. It also shows good resistance to bolting and stores well.Why buy heat treated onion sets? – It’s frustrating when your beautifully forming onions decide it’s time to develop seed and send up a flower stalk. Heat treating is a process that we carry out on your behalf to prevent this happening.

Onion Sets – F1 Hytech £3.99
A particularly well flavoured onion whith good medium to long term storage capability. Uniformly shaped with good skin colour. Very versatile in the kitchen whether in cooking or eaten raw. Heat prepared onion sets.Why buy heat treated onion sets? – It’s frustrating when your beautifully forming onions decide it’s time to develop seed and send up a flower stalk. Heat treating is a process that we carry out on your behalf to prevent this happening. So whilst they are a little more expensive, you can be more confident of harvesting onions you can be proud of!

Onion Sets – F1 Centurion £3.49
This first-rate onion is strong growing and will produce a heavy, early maturing crop, even in our indifferent British summers. An even skin colour and uniform globe shaped bulbs, together with good keeping ability make it an ideal show bench subject. RHS Award of Garden Merit winner.

Onion Sets – Electric £3.49
Produces outstanding quality, shiny, deep red semi-globe-shaped onions with excellent flavoured pink tinged flesh. Ideal for over wintering, plant in autumn-early winter for harvest May-June. 250g pack.

Onion Sets – Autumn Champion £3.49
This superb onion matures from late July and stores well until the end of the year. Whilst mildish in flavour it’s a little more robust than others offered due to its slightly higher dry matter content. The best choice if you only have room for one! 250g pack.

I am looking for people to review my book on Amazon – It’s called How to compost and is a guide for beginners on how to compost.
I can provide you with a free copy for you to review. If you’re interested then please get in touch via my twitter account – Thanks

Allotment holders ‘delighted’ after University of Gloucestershire changes expansion plans

Read more: http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Allotment-holders-delighted-University/story-28285662-detail/story.html#ixzz3tGcPHm1A
Follow us: @GlosCitizen on Twitter | GlosCitizen on Facebook

Find out about plots available in Ongar – With plots available in Castle Street, Ongar, and Moreton Road, Shelley, Ongar Town Council hopes they can be put to good use.

Flash sale at Seed parade
Says 37+ hours left!

We’ve had too much rain now – bits of my allotment are so wet there’s a family of ducks moved in.

There’s a twitter account for local weather and they have this page of interesting statistics This tells me the Rainfall This Year so far is 944.8 mm!

You can apply for the Awards for All grants for projects on your allotment.
Area:England
Funding size:£300 – £10,000

A common request is for a composting toilet (Especially useful for sites without drainage or mains water)

Natsol do a composting loo for about £8k installed.