Has anyone mastered the technique of growing red onions from sets without them running to seed early?

I grew red onion sets many years ago and had problems so stopped growing them Two years ago I tried autumn planted red onion sets (thinking the sellers may have got their act together by now) and actually got a decent crop off them.
This year I did the same and  the majority have bolted.

I don't think I am alone in this as other plot holders onions have suffered the same fate.

I tried red onions from seed but they are a bit of a faff on so have given up on these too. I do have red torpedo onions grown from seed but they are way behind where I think they should be growth wise.

Has anyone had any joy with the more expensive heat treated red onion sets and are they worth a go?

Hi Folks

Contrary to what some may think I don't think I've asked a stupid question in a while so here goes.......

Is there a right time to save seeds from a plant?

Morning Folks

I have 2 mini wasp nests in my shed. Now I believe everything deserves a chance (except Arsenal fans) but they seem a bit more active the last few times. Bottom line should I whack them with my hoe and avoid the shed for an hour or so?

Each Wednesday is my tinned tuna day. I try various recipes each week

Tomorrow, and after reading various complicated tinned tuna curry recipes I am going to experiment a bit.

I have tinned tuna,coconut milk,onions,eggs,sweet peppers, dried chillies, veggie and chicken stock cubes and various spices both fresh and dried.
I have no idea what quantities of each I will use but I will just keep tasting and sampling it as I go.

Unless of course, anyone has a simple curry recipe using these ingredients?

I set up a nettle press today, it's made with a 4ft long by 4inch diameter drain pipe wire mesh secured at the bottom as a filter and a empty wine bag fitted to the bottom to catch any liquid, I filled the pipe with nettles then put a 14lb hammer head into the pipe to act as a press, fitted a cap to the pipe then suspended the pipe from a tree, this setup works with comfrey, I have 3 or 4 lts. of confrey juice collected this way but do you think it will work with nettles?

I noticed these little devils had popped up in my front lawn when I was about to cut it. I thought they were cute so dug them up and planted them in my wildflower meadow rather than get chopped off with the mower blades.

My neighbour reckons they are Orchids and is a bit gutted that there aren't any in his lawn. I always cut his as well and his is full of buttercups!
After looking them up on a chart I tend to agree they are orchids, but I may be wrong?

They are very deep rooted as I found to my detriment when I chopped one of the roots off, and  supposedly to thrive on chalk soils whereas mine is acid?

Here are a couple of piccies of the dug up specimens, and replanted in my little meadow.

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My kitchen extension will have double doors opening out onto a patio. The house is lower than the garden so when the extension was built to enable the door to open out onto the garden we had to dig out a patio area. 
I've just bought a load of secondhand tiles but I don't really want a large concrete area - so I was thinking I could break it up with a pond /water feature. I don't want fish. This would be for whatever came along and some pond plants

I spotted a large pot in the reclaim yard....but it's not big enough.

I've been Googling ponds- is it easier just to buy a preformed oblong and build around it?? I want to have some water noise? I don't want to pay a fortune either. I spotted a lovely stone bath and thought I could do something like this....


But a little out of my price range.
I will be planting in some spots, I want herbs for cooking near, I thought I would line some of the walls with creeping rosemary.
       

   

Serpent leeks - never grown these before! Fascinating things - as they're about to flower, the heads rear up like serpents about to strike. 
Quite rare, it seems.

Car boot sale yesterday,looking at this lump of metal on a stall but wanted two cold chisels she had for sale. A squid for the pair of cold chisels and storeholder threw in the 'lump' for nowt. (Not at me!)

Any ideas? About five inches long with a large twisted cross on one end and a smaller twisted cross on tuther. A large nut in between.

She thought it may be a bleed key for an old cast iron radiator? If it is I can't find a similar one on goggle.

Excuse piccies as my phone is pretty carp.

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Hi Folks

Is there any way of getting a deleted thread back?

edit - Sorry please