Sowing onion seeds

[peregrin]

what about sets

What time of year should I be planting onions when they are sets?

Do they grow like potatoes with lots of onions on the bottom or does it get bigger?



Do you need a greenhouse to plant from seeds? You couldn't grow them in pots on the windowsill at this time of year it is too cold isn't it?

[Snadger]

I will just be using my window sill but may get an electric propagator.

I'm using my newly aquired £14.99 electric propagator (Crimbo present to myself!) ON a windowsill!

In fact I am going to sow them after my dinner! In case anyone is interested I am going to sow:-

1 packet Exhibition Onion THE KELSAE

1 packet of Voroshagyma Makoi CM (Hungarian large onion)

1 packet of Sonkahagyma Salatanak Valo (Hungarian 'Ham' onion)

1 packet of Sonkahagyma Rosa Lunga Di Firenze (Hungarian Red 'Ham' onion)

I have mentioned the Ham onions in another thread and the seed was purchased direct from Hungary through eBay.

[Benacre]

Autumn sowing sets can go into the ground now, Shallots should always go in on the shortest day and be harvested on the longest day, Mine are in Chilli pickling vineger by mid Aug.
You can bury the sets up to an inch deep to stop the birds pulling them up and they will still grow ok in the spring.
On our sandy soil we plant this years sets now too.
Benacre

[seasprout]

Trays or pots..?

Is it best to sow into trays then prick out into pots or as some of you appear to be doing, sow straight into pots..?

Medwin recomends in a tray first.

This is my first time from seed.

[pigletwillie]

Medwyn grows show onions, I grow onions to eat and havent got the greenhouse space that he has. With that in mind I sow in pots and then prick out into modules or trays. Bear in mind also that several trays take up a lot of propogator space or warm windowsills unless you have a heated greenhouse.

[PAULW]

I tried the sowing in pots and pricking out method but found it wasteful and damaged the roots now I grow in cells and pot up and find I get a better root formation.

[pigletwillie]

Another option is to plant like you do Paul but several seeds to a module and then plant out the whole plug. This gives you clumps of onions of varying sizes from small cheese sandwich jobbies up to big ones for store. I do this with a couple of trays and its really sucessful.

With regard to you damaging roots, out of perhaps 50-100 in a pot that happens to 3 or 4 of mine but the space saving at an early time of year in the greenhouse is worth the losses. Nether the less it is a valid point you raised.

[PAULW]

PW
I have 2 hundred over wintering onions already in but I like the challenge of growing onions from seed, I have sown so far a 40 cell tray of Red Pearl and 24 cell of mammoth red 24 cell mammoth white and will be sowing bedford champion in clumps as you describe.

[Snadger]

I've used jiffy seven peat pellets before for my Kelae onions, but found when I dug them up, the pellet was still intact at the root of the onion and it appeared to have impeded the root growth a bit?

The plugs sound a good idea though as I am not convinced about peat pellets or peat pots?

[PAULW]

SNADGER
I found when the plug is full of roots I move it up to square pots (they dont waste space on the tray) and grow on from there until you are ready to plant out.

[pigletwillie]

Like you Paul , I mainly use square pots for that reason and use any round ones for plants that are going to be gifts.

[Bex]

I've just read this whole thread and have been inspired to sow my onion seeds. I've put them in a tray with clear lid on a window sill in an unheated room (I hope this is ok). I've got to now go up to the garden centre tomorrow to buy some more trays/cells. I fancy the growing in clumps thing.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Not Yet PW, havent had a chance, but we are planning on doing the deed on NYE, as we are both off then!

Mr & Mrs D - what a wonderful new years eve you are planning! LOL! Dexterdog

[dexterdoglancashire]

Actually, have got a couple of packets of onions seeds - hang on a mo, while I go and get them.......................Im back (got another tinnie as well! LOL) Being very organised (for once!) have divided all my seeds into months that they can be sown (ie the first month it says on the packet) have got the following:

Tomato Lldi (for indoor sowing)
Tomato Alicante (for indoor sowing)
Red Cabbage Fuego F1 (indoor)
Onion - The Kelsae exhibition onion
Onion - Bedordshire Champion

Has anyone got any tips/hints on how to sow these? I was given all these by OH who got them cheap from work, so even if they don't work, and I don't see any reason why they wouldnt, it doesn't matter. Dexterdog

[supersprout]

I sow onion seed six to a module, resulting in 3-4 viable plants per module. At 7 x 7 modules per tray, that's between 150 and 200 onions per tray. These modules hold them until they're ready to plant out, any time from 4-8 weeks.



Two trays fill a bed 4 ft x 14 ft, so 300-400 onions per bed, planted 9 inches apart in dibber holes. Apart from mulching, and maybe a feed in Spring, that's it!

It's useful to have a few onion sets in reserve in case of gaps in the rows