Ideas for intercropping with Japanese over wintering Onions

[cambourne7]

Hi All,

Planting out my Japanese over wintering onion seeds tomorrow afternoon and i was wondering what i can plant with them.

When i had my allotment i had space so inter planting and cash cropping was never something i bothered with unless it was for something like 3 sisters. Now i am planting in garden and have just got the 3 beds i need to maximise my space.

I was thinking if i left enough space between rows i could plant carrots, leeks or beetroot but what else is there i can plant?

Cam

[cambourne7]

[Ellen K]

Although I am certainly no expert, I would not do it.  I'd start the plants in seed trays mid-August and plant them out singly in October having harvested the stuff you would have planted with them now.  But then again, I have a lot of weeds so I have to do it that way.  And onions don't like to have their roots disturbed (or so I've been told) and they are small plants quite shallowed rooted until April, the dears.

I've grown shallots from seed in shallow planters this year, sitting on top of the compost bins and that has worked well without using too much good compost either.  That wasn't your Q but it is an idea to use up all available space - though it sounds like you are probably doing that already.

[cambourne7]

Yep trying to maximise my planting opportunities the soil is fairly weed free at the moment 3 lots of roundup over the last 2 months have cleared the big weeds chatting to another friend i might be a little early for over wintering onions so confused now :)

[Tee Gee]

If your sowing seed why sow them in the ground?

Sow them in cells then plant them out as plugs in a couple of months time.

Meanwhile sow some fast growing crops to be going on with! e.g. salad crops

[cambourne7]

I though the onions never liked to be moved thats why i was going to stick them in the ground..

[zigzig]

To be honest there are not a lot of things which will 'over winter' .

The onion family such as leeks onions and garlic. It is not wise to inter grow since they are all rather likely to be infected by the same nasties we want to avoid.

There are a few brassicas which will over winter. Like sprouts, psb etc but they all need their own space.

Intercropping is rather a summer thing (in the UK) the slow growing cabbages with the  fast growing lettuce works.

That is because there is a shortage of space in summer. Space for peas, corn, squashes, potatoes and beans which are summer crops, use up the space

In winter there is not a shortage of space so just spread out what you want to grow.

UNLESS you have good cloches to give you cover to grow certain things which will survive over winter with protection. Again there are a few crops which will survive.

We are starved of the light over winter as well as heat. That is the big problem.

[cambourne7]

Thanks for that i guess i am sitting her with seeds and i am itching to just plant them all... :)

And this is my 1st winter growing veg in the garden maybe i should be a little more controlled :)