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Harvest to Table

A practical guide to food in the garden and market

Planting Onions

Filed under: Bulb Vegetables, Tagged as: in the garden, onions

Onions are a kitchen staple. Grow onions from seed, seedlings, or sets (small dry onion bulbs started the year before). Bulbing onions require 80 to 120 days to reach harvest. Green onions are harvested before they form bulbs, in 40 days or less. Spring onions form small, immature bulbs and are harvested in 40 to 60 days.

Planting Calendar. Onions require cool weather to start growth and produce green leaves for green or spring onions and warm weather to produce mature bulbs. Onions seeds, seedlings, and sets are frost hardy. (Learn more about types of onions and varieties, click here.)

● Spring planting. Plant onion seed, seedlings, and sets in early spring in northern and cold-winter regions for harvest the following autumn after they have formed bulbs. Sow seeds directly in the garden as early as four weeks before the average last frost date, or start seed earlier in late winter in a greenhouse or cold frame and transplant seedlings to the garden in early spring.

● Autumn planting. Plant onion sets in late summer or early autumn in southern and warmer regions. Over winter these onions for lifting mid summer or autumn the following year. (Tips on planting the fall garden, click here.)

Place. Plant bulb onions in full sun. Green onions can be planted in partial shade.

Soil. Sow onions in rich, well-drained soil with plenty of garden compost. Before planting, work soil to a depth of six inches removing stone and lumps. Acidic soil with a pH of less than 6.0 will results in a more pungent flavor. Add lime to the soil to make it less acidic. For green onions, add a handful of nitrogen-rich blood meal to each square yard or meter before planting.

Spacing. Sow onion seed ¼ inch deep, 2 to 3 inches apart. Sow seeds for green or pulling onions. Plant onion sets 1 to 2 inches deep, 3 to 6 inches apart. Plant sets for bulbs. Space rows 12 to 18 inches apart. The final size of an onion will depend on how much space it has to grow. Onions can be started from seed indoors ten weeks before the average last frost date.

Onions can be inter-planted between other vegetables such as tomatoes or cabbage.

Container growing. Onions can be grown in containers. Bulb onions should be planted 3 to 6 inches apart in a container at least 8 inches deep.

Water. Water onions until the bulbs swell. Let the soil dry out once bulbs have formed and the leaves begin to yellow and droop.

Suggested varieties. Choose an onion variety suited for your region. Check with a garden center or the cooperative extension for recommendations. Onions are sensitive to day length. Long-day onions are best suited for northern regions where summer days are longest. Short-day onions are suited for southern regions where summer days are not as long as those in the north. American and Spanish onions are long day onions. Bermuda onions are short day onions. (What's the difference between green onions, spring onions, and scallions? Click here.)

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Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide details the very essentials to gain small crop prowess and expertise. Detailed growing guides for 80 vegetables and herbs including:

Seed sowing, planting, and transplanting requirements.
Site and seasonal growing requirements.
Water, light, and nutrition requirements.
Detailed growing characteristics: height, root depth, bloom time, and days to harvest.
Best varieties for easy care and harvest.
Cropping and rotation suggestions.
Pest, disease, and environmental troubleshooting guide.
Container growing requirements and suggested varieties.
Propagation requirements.
Greenhouse and coldframe growing suggestions to extend the season.
Harvest and storage specifics.
Plant origin and history.
Identifying photograph of plant at harvest time.
Brief description of how edible part is used in the kitchen.
Common and botanical names for each plant listed alphabetically.
Plant names in Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.
First and last frost dates and growing season days for every state and 250 cities.
Complete index and gardener's glossary of growing terms.

Harvest to Table

Harvest to Table

A practical guide to food in the garden and market

Planting Onions

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

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Harvest to Table

Harvest to Table

A practical guide to food in the garden and market

Planting Onions

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia: The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide

A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia

Leave a comment

Send This Entry To A Friend

Link to this page

Harvest to Table's New Encyclopedia:
The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide