DIY Growing Onion Sets

[tortoise]

I had no idea growing onion sets would be so easy! Its on my list to try next summer!

How to make your own onion sets - The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

For a couple years now I have attempted to start onions from seeds and the same thing happens each year. All is going well, good strong seedlings, then I

www.cheapvegetablegardener.com

 

[Britesea]

noticed that the OP never reported on their success or failure- it's been 11 years since that was posted.

 

[flowerbug]

i started some seeds two summers ago to see how they would do and this summer i harvested a bunch more tiny onion bulbs than i really needed. we'll eat the bigger ones, the smallest ones will probably not survive until next spring, but the in-between sized ones may be ok and ready to plant out. they're already cured. if i keep them in a dark and cool location for the winter they should be ok.

here is a reference on onion seed production.

Onion Seed Production: Quick Reference - Organic Seed Alliance

This guide provides best practices for growing onion seed. It includes details on production, selection and variety improvement, and common diseases.

seedalliance.org

once you have onion seeds you can grow all the starts or sets that you need.

 

[flowerbug]

i left a fair number of onions in the garden where i grew the seedlings up to small bulb size that can be used for sets. the largest of those should flower next season to give me yet another round of seeds to use.


here are pictures of the two years grow outs:


from Nov 8 2020

from Apr 10 2021

i didn't mulch these at all through last winter as i think that if i'm growing something i shouldn't have to baby it. enough survived the winter that i had plenty of small bulbs to harvest.

i'll get pictures tomorrow (if i remember of my harvest that i've got sitting in box flats until i find a spot to store them through the winter)...


and for even more fun i had one onion that gave me a flower this year and the flower top had not only seeds but bulbules that can be replanted. so if the seeds from those grow and survive i may have a dual use top onion line to work with. i think it is a red onion too.


and yet more fun is that i'm trying to get some bunching onions to survive the winter here to see if they will flower for me next year and if those do then i'll have yet another onion project to work with. i love onions and have been gradually learning how to grow them better each season so this is all fun and useful fun.

 

[tortoise]

I had Welsh bunching onions. They only survived a couple years. ☹

 

[flowerbug]

I had Welsh bunching onions. They only survived a couple years. ☹

i've never had any trouble growing onions here, but it has taken me a few years to figure out how to get decently sized onions.

one thing i don't have any room for is doing starts indoors so i have to do everything outside working with the natural rhythm of the seasons.

i like onion blooms so i try to encourage some to bloom here each season and we have chives and several other alliums around too. the bees always love 'em.

 

[flowerbug]

this is a pic of the onion patch when the onions were growing mid-summer Jul 3 2021 (i knew i had a pic somewhere of things growing besides just the sprouts )...

there's four different kinds of onions growing in there.

 

[flowerbug]

a picture of the onion sets in the box flats (mixed with the larger onions which will either be eaten or used for growing more seeds next spring). the smallest of the sets will be used (about 1cm or less in size) because if you plant bigger ones there is a chance they'll bloom which does still produce an edible onion but the flower stalk often distorts the bulb or comes up through it so it isn't like the normal plain onion bulb you would buy in the store.

as you can see they're not particularly clean because the ground was pretty wet the day i got these out of the garden, but once they are dried out well enough then they can be kept in cool and dark storage until next spring's planting time. i will probably layer them on an old towel and then wrap them up and put them in a box. as long as they can breath and are kept dry they might sprout a little bit towards spring but they shouldn't rot.

 

[Mini Horses]

That's a great picture of an impressive garden area you have there! Kudos!

 

[flowerbug]

That's a great picture of an impressive garden area you have there! Kudos!

thanks! one of many gardens and it all keeps me out of trouble that is for sure:

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