onion seed vs onion sets

[queen of the cobs]

This is my first year on the plot (and I am such a convert! Will never, ever give it up).

I thought I'd try not to be too ambitious, as I didn't want to be disappointed, so I planted onion and shallots from sets in march. They have done fabulously well, just shot up, and I have 100s of them with leaves about 18" high. I've weeded scrupulously (by hand) but it all seems a bit easy (I'm not complaining, just grateful). I've heard that growing from seed is a bit more tricky - is this true, or are onions pretty easy to grow anyway?

I'm very lucky in that I have a greenhouse on my plot, and everything I have planted has come up, except for my carrots - am in the process of transplanting out into the ground now, and crossing my fingers and hoping for no frosts.

[Snadger]

I am growing most of my onions this year from seed! I usually grow from sets but fancied a change this year. There are pro's and con's to each method and it's a bit too early in the year to form a long term opinion! Ask me in August and I may be able to elaborate!
The reason I am growing from seed is because I couldn't get the type of onions I wanted in sets, only seeds! Also some of the onions I am growing are red onions which I have always struggled with, growing from sets!

[queen of the cobs]

I will ask you in August! I felt like I'd cheated with the sets, it was so easy

[HeyWayne]

I'm doign both - only because I didn't realise the seeds would not be ready until [I]next[I] year! Seeds are just long thin "leaves" at the moment nothing more.

[xspye]

I'm doing both as well, the sets do look a lot bigger but the ones I've grown from seed currently look like mini onions. I had assumed that they would just grow a bit faster later on in the year and I would harvest at the normal time. Do you really need to wait until next year befor eyou can harvest?

[Snadger]

I'm doing both as well, the sets do look a lot bigger but the ones I've grown from seed currently look like mini onions. I had assumed that they would just grow a bit faster later on in the year and I would harvest at the normal time. Do you really need to wait until next year befor eyou can harvest?

If you sowed your onion seed in winter of 2006 or spring of 2007 you should harvest late summer/early autumn 2007!

[Paulottie]

Well, the obvious difference is the price. You need to be a bit ahead of the game for seed. I sow maincrops in Jan or Feb indoors and set out in April or sow in situ under cloches in March and thin (extra crop of spring onions!). You will find they catch up with the sets in July. For overwintering (Japanese) onions you can sow in late summer (although I often buy sets for these as I am not normally here in August) they are by no means difficult. As Snadger says you also get a wider choice too.

A small disadvantage is that they are more susceptible to onion fly but I don't find it a prob. there is less of a problem with bolting.

I have never grown shallots from seed. I save my own sets for planting.

[Digger-07]

Trying seed for the first time because I felt like a change from the limited varieties available in sets. Seeds sown in early January in heat and kept in a cool greenhouse until March when planted out.

At the moment they seem to be a bit smaller than I would have expected sets to be but they are all doing well and looking healthy.

[HeyWayne]

If you sowed your onion seed in winter of 2006 or spring of 2007 you should harvest late summer/early autumn 2007!

Ah! Looks like I'll have plenty of onions then!

Seeds are Bedfordshire Champion, no idea what the sets are - I was given them by a mate.

[Snadger]

Trying seed for the first time because I felt like a change from the limited varieties available in sets. Seeds sown in early January in heat and kept in a cool greenhouse until March when planted out.

At the moment they seem to be a bit smaller than I would have expected sets to be but they are all doing well and looking healthy.

I think sometimes sets give the elusion of being bigger. You have to remember that the set outer husk is just for storage and will fade away eventually when the plant has used up its internal reserves. By then, your seed sown onions will have romped ahead and will be a similar size!

[nick the grief]

Hi QOTC,

I do both Sets of Radar (overwinter onion) and Red Baron (spring planted) and Kelsae and Mammoth seed. The seed isn't hard it's just fiddly and it needs sowing early really ( I do mine at Christmas gets me out of the Christmas washing up ) but then of cause you need heat.

If all you want is good onions for the kitchen then I'd stick with sets I think - Fen Globe aren't bad. If you want the challenge of trying to grow an onion about 6lb in weight then it's seed I'm afraid and you can pick from Kelsae, Mammoth, Ailsa Craig or Buntons Showstopper and start around CHristmas and grow them under lamps

pm me and I'll send you a pinch of my own seed if you want - couldn't say what the strain is now though as it's got a bit mixed up over the years how about Guru's Grief

[pigletwillie]

I use sets for "kitchen onions", generaly sturon or setton but now use seed for Red onions as I have had poor results from sets recently.

The Red onion seed is Red pearl and Red brunswick.

[borage]

I've just received a packet of red onion seeds is it okay to sow them now or am I a little late?

[pigletwillie]

Hang on to them until next year or use them as red spring onions. Its too late to get decent sized onions from seed now.

[borage]

In that case I will wait until next year