Page 14 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2024

In the meticulous world of competitive vegetable growing, innovation, persistence and expertise can lead
to truly extraordinary achievements. Recently, we witnessed one such monumental success in organic gardening – Gareth Griffin’s journey to cultivating the world’s heaviest onion, nurtured in a premium organic living soil developed by an innovative British soil manufacturer, Ecothrive.
Life, the premium organic living soil from Ecothrive, marked the start of his record- breaking endeavour. This soil contains a diverse microbial community along with organic matter and natural minerals that provide a balanced nutritional profile. The active biology in Eco-Life supports nutrient cycling, disease suppression, and moisture retention – creating an ideal environment for the onion to thrive.
Giant onion propagation
beginning daily drip irrigation of two to five minutes depending on weather. Around mid-July, he applied a liquid potassium fertiliser to aid bulb development. His approach underlines the careful balance of science and art in growing giant vegetables.
Insights from Gareth’s Experience
Let’s delve a little deeper into the various factors which led to Gareth’s success:
Seed Selection: Gareth sourced seeds from renowned growers like Nick Brake and Peter Glazebrook, emphasising the importance of proven genetics.
Environment Optimization: From propagation through final planting, Gareth modulated temperature, light, moisture, and nutrition to optimize the onions’ growing environment.
Balanced Feeding: Gareth held off fertilising the Eco-Life bed initially, then later addressed the first pangs of nitrogen hunger with an organic nitrogen fertiliser.
Organic Mastery
Gareth Griffin’s Journey to a World-Record Onion with Living Soil
Gareth’s onion weighed 8.97Kg (19lb 12oz)!
Embracing Living Soil
First, let’s understand the cornerstone of Gareth’s success - living soil
Gareth Griffin’s Growing Techniques:
Starting in late October, Gareth sowed seeds in seedling trays filled with a peat-free potting mix. He utilised bottom heat of 70-75°F and grow lights on a 24-hour photoperiod for vigorous growth. At the three to four true
First, let’s understand the
cornerstone of Gareth’s
success - living soil.
Think of it as ‘five star
accommodation’ for
plant roots, replete with a
dizzying array of organic
inputs including worm castings, rock dust and seaweed meal. The goal of living
leaves stage, Gareth repotted into 1L
pots, transitioning to a peat-reduced organic potting soil. He eventually moved the onions into 11L pots filled with his specialised ‘M3’ potting mix amended with organic fertilisers. Throughout these stages, Gareth adjusted the lighting to match natural daylength.
In mid-February, Gareth transplanted his most robust onions into the final raised beds – one filled with Eco-Life living soil. Here, he installed soil warming cables to maintain 65-70°F soil temperatures and drip irrigation six inches below the surface. Gareth hand-watered for a month before
soil is to create a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem that’s both rich in organic matter and teeming with microorganisms (beneficial bacteria, fungi, and protozoa). These microscopic inhabitants play a crucial role in maintaining soil health,
as they break down organic material, enrich the soil with nutrients, and improve its structure. This creates an ideal soil environment where plants can thrive naturally, drawing on a balanced and diverse array of nutrients.
Gareth’s investment in 1000 litres of Eco-
Giant onion vegeatative growth
Growing on
Onion bed
14 Simply Vegetables
GARETH HOPCROFT, ECOTHRIVE