Just about every garden has onions. In today’s program, Cathy Isom explains the benefits of growing onions from seed. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Onions are staples in most vegetable gardens, and are usually grown from sets. Growing onions from seed, however, is just as easy. It’s also far more affordable, as a packet of 100 seeds costs far less than an onion set, and offers you a greater range of choice.
When growing onions from seed, consider which variety best suits your growing conditions. In particular, how much daylight you get. Additionally, if you want to store the onions, you should select a variety with good storage capabilities.
Onions require a long germination and growing period. They’re commonly started off indoors before being transplanted later. Place no more than 3 onion seeds in each module or pot. Firm the soil down and moisten with a gentle spray. Be careful not to overwater or use a watering can as a vigorous flow of water as it can disturb or drown the seeds.
Thin the seedlings out once they’ve germinated, so that there is only 1 per module or pot. Then place them in a light location. As the onions grow, you’ll need to clip the tops to keep them at a manageable size: about 2.5 inches.
While onions are largely cold hardy, they’ll still need to be hardened off before transplanting. Start this process about 4 weeks before the last expected frost date. Select a location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight every day and has loose, well draining, fertile soil.
I’m Cathy Isom…