Friday, January 11, 2013

Growing Onions From Seeds


We grew our onions from seed last year. I've been wanting to do this for so long, but never actually took the time to do so. We grow everything else from seed. Why did it take me so long to try this? It is so easy and there are many benefits to growing your own. You can choose from a wide variety of onions. You can start them throughout the year so that you have fresh green onions whenever you need them. We have some growing right now that were planted in late summer/early fall. The temperatures have dropped to 19 and they're still alive.

You can start them right in the ground or in seed starters. I use the starter trays that we bought from Gardener's Supply Catalog about 20 years ago. Fill the trays with seed starting mix. Sprinkle in a generous amount of seeds. Cover with a thin layer of mix. Water. Wait. They look so fragile at this point and I was afraid that I'd hurt them when handling them, but don't worry. Onion seedlings are strong and don't break easily. After they're up about 2", I transplant them either in the ground or in another tray; one per cell this time. In the garden, I plant them 6" apart. I sink them in the ground about 1". Make sure the white part of the set is covered with soil. Keep them weeded and watered. That's it folks.
Sometimes in the spring, the ground is too wet to plant. When this happens, I transplant some sets in pots. They grow in harmony with my spring flowers.
Until next time.....