With onions, when is a good time to expose the top of the bulb to the sun?

[Leeds_lad]

OR are they suppose to be always showing? worried i have maybe planted them a bit too deep

[Capsid]

Wait a bit longer until they really start to swell and then they may push themselves out.

[rustylady]

I usually find that they find their own level. When did you plant them, and how deep? Seeds or sets?

[Aberdeenplotter]

not something I've ever considered because they do seem to sit on top of the soil pretty naturally for me.

[zazen999]

A photo might help...

[Alison]

Not sure I fully understand the question. If you use sets you only partially bury when you plant out so they're always on show and even with seeds, the tops make themselves visible as they grow so I've never needed to expose them.

[King Carrot]

I bury my sets completely, just so the tip of the strawy bit is poking up and they always end up on the surface - unless they're a couple of inches down I really wouldn't worry.

[endymion]

OR are they suppose to be always showing? worried i have maybe planted them a bit too deep

At the moment they won't look as if they're doing much except make top growth because they don't start 'bulbing up' until after the longest day - which was only a few days ago, and they won't finish growing for a while yet. Most of ours still look like giant spring onions, the green tops will fall sideways and start to turn yellow then brown when they're ready to dig.

We'll be giving ours a potash feed soon, ish. It helps root growth.

[oldie]

I plant my onion sets so the top is just showing. My march planted ones are nearly ready to dig, the tops are browning and beginning too flop and my shallots are even more advanced. The seed sown ones are bulbing up nicely but I don't expect them before mid august.