converting onion seed to onion sets.

[Duronal]

This is very fleetingly mentioned in Bernard salts growing under plastic but i'd like to know more. Does anyone have any ideas?

[King Carrot]

I've been thinking about trying this later this Summer due to the general poor quality of onion sets I've had over the last few years. I've been searching on the net with no luck so far - just onion sets and more onion sets

I gather you broadcast sow the seed at somepoint - August perhaps? and let the seeds grow until they go dormant - the trick is not letting them get too big as they'll bolt or go straight to seed when planted in spring.

Anyone?

[Demeter]

I believe the commercial onion set producers do it by severely restricting the space that the plants have to grow so that the bulbs hardly swell. I would suggest sowing very thickly and leaving them to crowd into each other?

I may have inadvertantly created onion sets over winter as my seed sown overwintering onions did not get planted out until spring - just sat in modules all winter, unfed, unwatered, and unloved. When I finally got around to planting them, some looked very much like onion sets, with just a small bit of leaf! Hoping they will pick up once they realise that they are in the ground

[Snadger]

I believe the commercial onion set producers do it by severely restricting the space that the plants have to grow so that the bulbs hardly swell. I would suggest sowing very thickly and leaving them to crowd into each other?...............................

I think you are right Demeter and the producers rely on the fact that most alliums are bienniel and shouldn't run to seed until the second year.