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.....

'Round Here

It's been sunny, windy, rainy, cool and warm. The perfect mix of spring weather for me and the garden. It's still too wet to till the garden. If we don't get rain this week, I may be able to till by Thursday. Here's hoping!

1. Black violas
2. Lilac bush
3. Onion seedlings
4. Bachelor Buttons

'Round Here

 Our crazy weather continues. We're breaking temperature records left and right. The rain continues to come down. Yesterday, I was able to get a lot of work done before it began. When it finally did begin to fall, it brought with it pea sized hail. Today, the forecast is the same. It stopped long enough for me to head outside, get some fresh air and snap some photos.

That was what the sky looked like last night, at sunset, after the storm passed! Everything glowed orange.

I dug up some turnips in the turnip bed that we planted last fall. Normally, they would not have survived the winter. Since it was so mild here, they continued to grow. A nice surprise! I got a fabulous recipe from a woman I met on twitter for tofu turnip soup that I'll be making this weekend.

While I'm waiting for the ground to dry out, I decided to plant some onion sets in some of our large pots.

The bachelor buttons are beginning to bloom. I harvested these seeds years ago, down the road at the edge of a field. I like to think that they once grew in the cottage garden of one of the families that settled this area.

Last year, I moved our herbs closer to the house. It is so much easier to run outside to snip a piece or ten when we need fresh herbs. I dug up a few chunks of oregano. Looks to me like they love their new home.

The parsley plants are still alive and looking pretty good, although they'll soon be seeding out. They're usually dead, but the mild winter.....

I moved the lemon balm too. It's growing next to the rose trellis. I think she'll be happy there.

And our cilantro is also alive and kicking. It will soon be seeding out too.

Today is half over. Here's hoping that we don't get any of that golf ball size hail that I saw on TV last night.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Onion shading itself.

For more shadowy goodness, go here:

Have a great week!

Until next time.....