My last go at onions from seed

[dean_wales]

Hi guys,

Onions from sets are a staple crop for me. I grow quite a few.

Last year I failed to grow onions from seed for the second time and when I went to buy the sets which did OK, I swore never again.

This year however I am broke and find myself with loads of free seeds so feel obliged to try again. I have regular Bedfordshire Champion, big old Alisa Craig and some generic red ones.

Question is...
- Is it too late to sow.
- What methods are tried and tested.
- Any other tips?

Dean.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Check out the thread http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eed_69067.html It was written to guide me through my first year of growing from seed. It was a tremendous help and I ended up with good onions.

[Kristen]

Question is...
- Is it too late to sow.

No, February is fine, but onion bulbs start developing based on day length, so in that sense it is not a crop you can "plant late & catch up".

Any other tips?

Straighten the coiled-roots vertically when you plant them out

[Potstubsdustbins]

Thanks VC for putting the link up, made me look better than I really am LOL

[veggiechicken]

Impossible, Potty

[Two_Sheds]

What methods are tried and tested.

Like everything else, they need light: good quality full-spectrum daylight. ie, when the clocks go fwd


I used to sow stuff Jan/Feb, but it really does no better, and usually much worse, than seeds sown in late March

[Bohobumble]

Like everything else, they need light: good quality full-spectrum daylight. ie, when the clocks go fwd


I used to sow stuff Jan/Feb, but it really does no better, and usually much worse, than seeds sown in late March

I kind have all my eggs in one basket there, I sowed the majority of my remaining bulb onion seeds a week ago, worried now that I should have waited

[Kristen]

Onions start bulbing-up based on day length so they can't catch up. Of course sow too early with not enough light and they struggle ... but too late is no good, for Onions, as not enough time before they start to bulb up. I favour an early start, but I have grow-lamps under which to grow mine, so I'm cheating!

[Jonnyt]

I had great onions from seed last year sowing in January with no grow lights or added heat once germinated so I've done the same again

[dean_wales]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for the input. Seems doable so I am going to stick with it.

What temperature do onions like to germinate and grow initially?

They are currently in the bedroom at a steady 18c approx. Is that warm enough? Would more with be better?

The windowsill juggle never works well for my early plants and so I am going to build an outdoor heated propagator covered with poly carbonate in the next week or two.

Dean.

[WendyC]

I wouldn't go any warmer as without lights they'll get leggy. Also pretty soon they will need to moved to a cooler place, so will be less of a shock if used to cooler conditions.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Hi everyone.

Thanks for the input. Seems doable so I am going to stick with it.

What temperature do onions like to germinate and grow initially?

They are currently in the bedroom at a steady 18c approx. Is that warm enough? Would more with be better?



Dean.

18c (65f) is spot on for sowing onions. To grow on, they need a minimum of 13c(55f)

[Kristen]

What temperature do onions like to germinate and grow initially?

They are currently in the bedroom at a steady 18c approx. Is that warm enough?

Its warm enough, but I'm not sure there will be enough light. Are they on the windowsill? Which direction does the window face?

Would more with be better?

If light is "weak" (I would say pretty much anything other than a greenhouse, this time of the year), then a lower temperature would be better. Warm will promote growth, low light will make that growth elongated and weak

The windowsill juggle never works well for my early plants and so I am going to build an outdoor heated propagator covered with poly carbonate in the next week or two.

Onions will be happy at a relatively low temperature (compared to, say, Tomatoes and so on), but have you considered a light-box, indoors, instead? No issue with temperature, being indoors / insulated, so just need to provide some sort of growing lamp