Hi guys need your advice on onions. firstly i have been trying to grow from seed, direct sow into the garden. But having no luck at all. either they die off or don't grow well enough to make a bulb. I read somewhere it might be better to grow from small bulbs instead. secondly I have an onion from last year that has grown this year and is about to flower. should i cut the flower off to promote bulb growth or is it too late. last question, with onions selling quite cheap, should I use the garden space for something else? thanks
Hi Danjensen my experience with onions: they're best sown in a seed raising mix, transplant when they're about 3 inch high. Sow into a well manured and limed bed, or better still, something manured last season. Let the soil settle for at last a couple of weeks before transplanting seedlings. In temperate, subtropical and cool climates, sow in winter and they'll grow through spring with onions in summer. Don't use nitrogenous fertilisers from late spring onwards so as not to direct energy towards leaf growth. They like plenty of sun and plenty of water when the bulbs are maturing. Hand weed around them so as not to disturb roots.And yes, they are cheap! i like to do something just to get to know it, its always practicality vs. adventure curiosity and passion for me in my garden. If you do, good luck!
ps.. check out this link, quite good advice and re flowering (never had it happen to me so no advice) http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/arch ... ongro.html good luck!
I was going to ask about planting onion seeds I saved from last year's onions . They made it through a Michigan winter and went to flower and seeded. I gathered goo-gobs of seed, so I thought maybe I should plant a few in October and save some for early seeding inside to be ready for spring.
For growing from seed, I would put the seeds out now. Even in our heat we plant fall onions in late Aug.
Forgive me, Mart. I can't seem to get it. If I plant onion seed now, will I get onions this year? Will I get onions next spring? I'm in a cold winter state. Michigan can go mild or bitter cold.
Onions can take cold weather and frosts fine but not a hard freeze. I would not try seed where you are till very early spring. But if you can get the started ones you would have time for some fall onions I think. Might not get as big as in the spring but still good eating. Most of the growers here start seed in Feb.for spring planting here. Of course they are in a greenhouse with controlled weather. We plant started onions here as soon as we can dig the ground a bit. I always forget that some of you guys are in the north and don`t have mild winters like we do.
I think I will experiment by planting a few seeds now and most of them in early spring. I will plant them inside and set out the seedlings just about last frost.
I live in cold area. Planted onion seeds inside in February . Put in the garden in april an they did pretty darn good. First time. One should get the prope seeds for the climate. Have no idea whats yours. b
onions The seed are either Vidalia or Sweet Spanish. They came from onions I set out in 2009, left in the ground over winter and they :-o came back in 2010 and went to seed. I gathered all the seed heads as they dried and have enough seed for a bushel of onions, assuming they grow.
