Planting onion seeds in the fall or late winter...

[Beekissed]

I doubt he has to hoe much at all. All those rocks make for great, loose soil structure, meaning weeds should just rake up out of that with ease.

 

[digitS']

I'm a sit in the path on a stool and pluck the weeds out with the digitS', kinda weeder.

Maybe I should say "with Mrs. digitS'."

I might use a 3-prong cultivator but not with the onions. And, they are such wimps with any kind of weed competition.

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

I planted onions in trays in my greenhouse several weeks ago. The directions say 6-8 weeks before outdoor planting. I am trying to grow onions the size of the plants I have been buying for several years. The plants grow much bigger than the onion sets I used to get . My onions this year were as big as you get in the store. The plants are quite expensive and certainly not organically grow. So, time will tell if I can get a good sized bulb for out door planting in the spring.

I did not know if planting my own seeds for onions would be of any use. I did it once before indoors in late winter. All I got were plants like blades of grass that did not make it through the transplanting. The ones I planted last fall have a bulb the size of a pea and a good size green. They look as if they will be of good use but time will tell. I am going to harden them off outdoors pretty soon for early May planting.

 

[digitS']

You can see my onions on the greenhouse bench, @catjac1975 .

They look good to me right now but, yes, they are "blades of grass."

I think that they will be okay by the time they go out into the garden. Some of that timing may depend on the tractor guy. Depletion of nutrients and their roots being bound up is what I'm concerned about from here on out.

Somewhat difficult to set out, they do quite well here. For what it's worth. Onions seem a little unusually important to our diet. Sets us apart, so to speak. Of course, we don't have to stay long in crowded waiting rooms ...

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

I always bought onion plants. They were grown with no space between them. I had great results. What turned me off of them, besides the price, was the coating of green gunk that they came with last year. So much for deluding myself with organically grown onions. The roots on the purchased ones were pretty dry, so I am guessing your tangled roots might not be a problem. You have so many. Maybe losing a few will not matter. I think I started mine in October--nnot good at records.

 

[ducks4you]

I've started onions from seeds before, but forgot to babysit them and they dried out.
I might try again, after reading this thread.

 

[Beekissed]

I never did get mine planted early, so am finishing up the planting of the seeds today, among other things. Hope to get seedling trays for peppers planted also.

 

[Mauldintiger]

I started some potato onions and Italian red bottle onions from seed I got from Kelly Winterton on January 6 in my office under a fluorescent desk lamp. They came up in about a week and looked good, but a week later I came in and found a huge nest of ants in the corner of the planter, so outside to the garden they went along with a big dusting of diatomaceous earth. Cold and rain laid them down flat and they stayed that way for weeks, I did not think they would make it, but left them alone. I didn't pay them any attention, but this morning I noticed this: onions are tough little boogers! And the other pic is what the potato onions will look like next spring after replanting the bulb next fall. As you can see this one, planted from a bulb last fall is starting to divide. Potato onions from seed takes about 18 months to harvest, which is usually 5-8 bulbs.
I am really excited about them!

 

[digitS']

'Tiger, potato onions are supposed to be very much the same as shallots. I have never grown them ... but, having shallots make me feel kinda special .

They are awfully good.

It maybe true that you will have problems with some varieties of shallots because of daylength/latitude. They are grown in Thailand, however. Obviously, there are some for southern latitudes. You may need to do just a little research. Southern Exposure Seed sells shallots so that must mean something .

Steve

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

well, the first official signs of spring in my garden is when i can see the chives sprouting. they never really went dormant this year but they have put about an inch or two of growth on them since the last time i looked at them about a month ago.

garlic had sprouted & they are about 3" high & looking good. i had left some smaller onions in the ground again last year & those are already sprouting too. the young leeks i planted in the fall are looking good but i need to transplant them further apart.