How to Grow Onions, Planting Onions, Storing Onions
Learn how to grow onions in your vegetable garden, how to water and fertilize onion plants, and the best way to store onions. Design Your Own Vegetable Garden Layout Using our Free "Vegetable Garden Planner" Software! If you ask a seasoned gardener how to grow onions the most convenient way, the answer would be to plant onion sets in early spring. Sets are simply baby onions that were grown from seed the previous year. The onion sets are planted in rows like large seeds, rather close together.
Proper spacing for large onions of about 2 to 4 inches, which results by thinning some of the young green onions as scallions for fresh garden salads. Some authorities will say when posed the query of how to grow onions, that the vegetables can be grown in the home vegetable garden from seed far superior in flavor to onions grown from sets. Depending on variety, onions planted from seed require a long growing season of 100 days or so to reach typical market size. On the other hand, green onions can be harvested from early summer on. How to Grow OnionsI have it on good authority, from a trusted friend's grandmother the following growing suggestions for onions. Her Grandmother recently celebrated her 108th birthday, so I believe she is considered a bona-fide vegetable gardener.
Planting Onions SetsGrowing onions need sun exposure and a well drained bed that retains moisture as well.Mix 5-10-5 fertilizer at the rate of five pounds per 100 square feet into the soil prior to planting.Plant onion sets in rows 2 inches deep. Download Free Garden Planning Worksheets, Garden Diary, Zone Chart, Or Planting Guide How to Grow Onions from SeedsSow onion seed in ½ inch rows, allowing about 10 to 15 seeds per foot. Thin to 2 to 4 inches apart. Set seedlings or transplants about 2 inches deep. Allow about 12 to 18 inches between rows.
Vegetable Gardening Tips for Growing OnionsOnion foliage can be snipped for fresh flavoring. When growing onions from seed, patience is needed in the early stages. (Like parenthood!) Bunching onions are quick to harvest in as little as 60-75 days. Cultivation needs to be shallow to avoid disturbing onion roots. Get a daily watch on weeds. Once a weed population gets a head start in the garden patch, they are difficult to destroy. Use straw mulches to reduce weeds and conserve moisture. During dry weather spells, water the onions. Harvesting OnionsMost onion bulbs are useable when ¼ to ½ inch in diameter. For successful storage of the bulbs, the tops of the plants must have died down before the bulbs are harvested. This natural process starts toward the end of summer. If some of the foliage is brown and others are not, bend down the slowpokes by hand or with a garden hoe, to speed the ripening process. Then carefully dig the bulbs. Spread them out on a wire screen in a dry location to continue ripening. In most climates, the best place for drying is in a garage. Storing OnionsThe onion bulbs should be protected from morning dew or rain. After a week or so, when the skin of the bulb is perfectly dry, remove the tops. Or the foliage can be left on if desired to braid into decorative hanging bunches. Store onions in a dry, cool environment safe from freezing temperatures.I would be remiss if I failed to mention our 108 year old gardener who was kind enough to share her esteemed advice on how to grow onions wanted me to remind everyone reading this that an onion poultice is a effective remedy for pulling poisons out of your body. How to Grow Onions to Vegetable Gardening You Might Also like to Read:
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