Hi all, I'm new, not just to this forum but to gardening. I've inherited an interesting garden with the house I'm renting, and am doing my best to get it into shape and get some veggies on the go.

My question is this: There are a lot of bulbs in the garden, some of which I dug up and stored in June when I planted some bedding plants which I'd brought with me from Bristol when I moved. That went fine.

I decided I'd better get my spring bulbs back in now that winter's (supposedly) on its way, only to discover that the bulbs are sprouting! I've also notices that those i'd left in the garden are also coming up. My onions I'd planned to plant in February are also growing shoots. This isn't normal, is it? What can I do? I've put the bulbs in regardless, and planted my onions anyway, but I'm not sure if they're going to survive? Is there anything I can do to help them keep safe til next year?

Cheers, Cat

In message , Catjane
writes

Hi all, I'm new, not just to this forum but to gardening. I've inherited
an interesting garden with the house I'm renting, and am doing my best
to get it into shape and get some veggies on the go.

My question is this: There are a lot of bulbs in the garden, some of
which I dug up and stored in June when I planted some bedding plants
which I'd brought with me from Bristol when I moved. That went fine.

I decided I'd better get my spring bulbs back in now that winter's
(supposedly) on its way, only to discover that the bulbs are sprouting!
I've also notices that those i'd left in the garden are also coming up.
My onions I'd planned to plant in February are also growing shoots.
This isn't normal, is it? What can I do? I've put the bulbs in
regardless, and planted my onions anyway, but I'm not sure if they're
going to survive? Is there anything I can do to help them keep safe til
next year?

Cheers, Cat


It depends on the type of bulb, but it's quite normal for some bulbs to
produce leaves in the autumn. I've got Allium roseum and Muscari
armeniacum coming through at the moment; the Muscari is even flowering.
I also noticed snowdrops coming through in a local meadow a few days
back.

It's also quite common to plant onion sets in the autumn.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:02:37 +0000, Catjane
wrote:


Hi all, I'm new, not just to this forum but to gardening. I've inherited
an interesting garden with the house I'm renting, and am doing my best
to get it into shape and get some veggies on the go.

My question is this: There are a lot of bulbs in the garden, some of
which I dug up and stored in June when I planted some bedding plants
which I'd brought with me from Bristol when I moved. That went fine.

I decided I'd better get my spring bulbs back in now that winter's
(supposedly) on its way, only to discover that the bulbs are sprouting!
I've also notices that those i'd left in the garden are also coming up.
My onions I'd planned to plant in February are also growing shoots.
This isn't normal, is it? What can I do? I've put the bulbs in
regardless, and planted my onions anyway, but I'm not sure if they're
going to survive? Is there anything I can do to help them keep safe til
next year?

Cheers, Cat

Hi and welcome to the newsgroup (which you've got at through the
Garden Banter forum). You've started gardening in a year which has
confounded a lot of experienced gardeners because plants have flowered
and fruited at strange times.

Bulbs you've only just put back in the ground may have started
sprouting because that's what bulbs do. Daffodils, for example,
usually go in the ground around September so bulbs will be sprouting
now if they're not planted. The key is to make sure that the bulbs
feel firm and show no signs of rot or fungus. If they're ok, get them
planted and nature will catch up - just be a bit more careful when
covering them not to break the shoots off.

If your onions are sprouting, get them in now - it's the right time of
year for them.

For bulbs left in the ground, I think the answer has to be wait and
see. As I said, it's been a funny old year. I have tulips poking
anything up to a couple of inches above ground level. I wouldn't worry
about most spring bulbs but I am worrying about tulips - traditionally
these are planted around now so that their shoots don't appear until
well into the new year. I have planted some new ones but am wondering
whether I need to lift the area of old planting and plant deeper.
There's a thing called "tulip fire" that can affect tulips that appear
above ground too early. Maybe I'll just chuck some mulch over them.

But at the end of the day, gardening is all about having a go, doing
it your way and learning. Even experienced gardeners are playing
things by ear a bit at the moment. We don't know what the winter will
bring on top of a lot of new experiences this year. I picked a
strawberry this week. Only one, small but sweet and juicy, growing
from a runner I planted not so long ago. My strawberries usually stop
fruiting in September.

Good luck.


Cheers, Jake
=======================================
URGling in between collecting leaves at
the dryer (east) end of Swansea Bay.

I just KNEW that someone would have to have a go at gardenbanter :-))

Right AGAIN wasn't I ? :-)))))

Infuriating to some ;-)

Mike

--

....................................

Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive.

....................................




"Jake" Nospam@invalid wrote in message
...
On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:02:37 +0000, Catjane
wrote:


Hi all, I'm new, not just to this forum but to gardening. I've inherited
an interesting garden with the house I'm renting, and am doing my best
to get it into shape and get some veggies on the go.

My question is this: There are a lot of bulbs in the garden, some of
which I dug up and stored in June when I planted some bedding plants
which I'd brought with me from Bristol when I moved. That went fine.

I decided I'd better get my spring bulbs back in now that winter's
(supposedly) on its way, only to discover that the bulbs are sprouting!
I've also notices that those i'd left in the garden are also coming up.
My onions I'd planned to plant in February are also growing shoots.
This isn't normal, is it? What can I do? I've put the bulbs in
regardless, and planted my onions anyway, but I'm not sure if they're
going to survive? Is there anything I can do to help them keep safe til
next year?

Cheers, Cat

Hi and welcome to the newsgroup (which you've got at through the
Garden Banter forum). You've started gardening in a year which has
confounded a lot of experienced gardeners because plants have flowered
and fruited at strange times.

Bulbs you've only just put back in the ground may have started
sprouting because that's what bulbs do. Daffodils, for example,
usually go in the ground around September so bulbs will be sprouting
now if they're not planted. The key is to make sure that the bulbs
feel firm and show no signs of rot or fungus. If they're ok, get them
planted and nature will catch up - just be a bit more careful when
covering them not to break the shoots off.

If your onions are sprouting, get them in now - it's the right time of
year for them.

For bulbs left in the ground, I think the answer has to be wait and
see. As I said, it's been a funny old year. I have tulips poking
anything up to a couple of inches above ground level. I wouldn't worry
about most spring bulbs but I am worrying about tulips - traditionally
these are planted around now so that their shoots don't appear until
well into the new year. I have planted some new ones but am wondering
whether I need to lift the area of old planting and plant deeper.
There's a thing called "tulip fire" that can affect tulips that appear
above ground too early. Maybe I'll just chuck some mulch over them.

But at the end of the day, gardening is all about having a go, doing
it your way and learning. Even experienced gardeners are playing
things by ear a bit at the moment. We don't know what the winter will
bring on top of a lot of new experiences this year. I picked a
strawberry this week. Only one, small but sweet and juicy, growing
from a runner I planted not so long ago. My strawberries usually stop
fruiting in September.

Good luck.


Cheers, Jake
=======================================
URGling in between collecting leaves at
the dryer (east) end of Swansea Bay.

"Catjane" wrote
Hi all, I'm new, not just to this forum but to gardening. I've
inherited an interesting garden with the house I'm renting, and am
doing my best
to get it into shape and get some veggies on the go.

My question is this: There are a lot of bulbs in the garden, some of
which I dug up and stored in June when I planted some bedding plants
which I'd brought with me from Bristol when I moved. That went fine.

I decided I'd better get my spring bulbs back in now that winter's
(supposedly) on its way, only to discover that the bulbs are
sprouting!
I've also notices that those i'd left in the garden are also coming
up.
My onions I'd planned to plant in February are also growing shoots.
This isn't normal, is it? What can I do? I've put the bulbs in
regardless, and planted my onions anyway, but I'm not sure if they're
going to survive? Is there anything I can do to help them keep safe
til next year?

Hi and welcome. Inheriting an interesting garden sounds great fun, even
if hard work.

I'm pretty sure your bulbs will be fine if you just plant them
carefully. Last autumn I forgot all about some tulip bulbs I'd bought
until I re-discovered them this February still in their paper bag,
growing shoots. I thought it must be far too late for them to come to
much but hurriedly planted them out anyway and they flowered just fine
later on and gave a good display.

Only other tip I can think of to keep bulbs safe after you plant is to
mark the areas somehow so you don't forget where they are and
accidentally damage the bulbs when forking over or planting other
things. It's all too easy to forget what's planted where when they're
hidden underground.

If you're completely new to gardening you might find inspiration and
info in your local library's gardening section - it's a lot cheaper than
buying new books, especially when you're probably not sure which will be
ones you're likely to refer back to time and again. Keep an eye on
'returns' shelf as well; the best and most useful books often go out
again as soon as they're returned.

Good luck with your plans and may your harvests be plentiful and your
weeds be few!
--
Sue