Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 42,543 times. Dig the soil over and work in compost, as explained in the Transplanting Onion Seeds section, before sowing. Plant the onions. If you choose the wrong type of onion for your area, you may not get a very successful crop. Onions require a lot of water, but too much water can also harm them. You can also begin growing onions outdoors in the last week of March, once the winter frosts have passed. Onion seeds are one type of seed that do not store well. By using our site, you agree to our. You can buy onions seeds from any gardening store. Sow seed in a pot or tray of moist seed compost, about 1cm apart. Start seeds in flats indoors 4-6 weeks before the last frost date. Thin to 3-4" apart for larger onions. Use newspaper to keep the bulbs separate. Quite an expensive way to … The sets should be no more than two inches deep. If you have heavy clay, mix in some sand in the top few inches as onions do well with good drainage and loose dirt. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. If you keep the root ends in the jar, they will produce green shoots for a while but the plant will weaken eventually and stop producing. Growing Onions from Seeds. For northern climates, seeds should be started indoors 10 weeks prior to moving outside to transplant. Sets are part-grown onions that are super-easy to grow and save time sowing. Use a fork to loosen a hole in the dirt, place the seedling into the hole, and then push the dirt back. Choose the right type of seed for your growing zone. In essence, this is the process of planting onion transplants or seedlings. When the flowers dry out on their own, you should see black seeds in them. Viability of Onion Seed. To grow onions from seed, start by sprinkling seeds over a seed starting mix in a shallow container, then cover with a 1/8 inch layer of soil, followed by a humidity dome. Aligning the onions in your hand, you trim the roots so that the bottom of an onion is not accidentally cut off. Store the onions in an onion bag, and hang the bag up. Trench a 4 inch deep furrow and water to moisten the soil. If you cure the onions in direct sunlight, the skins will soften and invite bacteria. There are varieties that can be planted in … Here's how it's done. They can be planted from onion sets, nursery-grown transplants, or onion seeds. This will happen once every two years. A light feed of sulphate of potash in June will help ripen the bulbs ready for storage. So once you confirm that your onion seedlings have three leaves, transplant them into containers gently which are about 10 cm deep. If you live in Zone 6 and colder, choose long-day onions, such as: Alisa Craig, Copra, and White Sweet Spanish. Sowing onion seeds right into the garden can allows you to skip some transplanting steps. You want the pan to be mainly full. If your area gets maggots, wait until mid-spring before transplanting your onions. He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. It's June and they are just starting to bloom. Tie a knot in the stocking between each bulb. I’ve heard of people using strawberry containers as well. Make sure that the soil drains well, and that the water does not stand or sit. How to Grow Onions from Seed Once the bulbs are 2 inches in diameter, harvest your onions and cure them in a shed or garage. Onions should not be grown in the same soil as a previous crop of the onion family and we strongly suggest that you read our page about crop rotation to decide exactly where is best to grow them. So be sure you are using fresh seed. When saving seeds from onion, separate varieties by at least 800 feet up to ½ mile. 2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/e2\/Grow-Onions-from-Seed-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Onions-from-Seed-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/e2\/Grow-Onions-from-Seed-Step-1.jpg\/aid3578797-v4-728px-Grow-Onions-from-Seed-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"