Home » Misc » When to start planting onions

When to start planting onions


How to Grow Onions | Onion Planting & General Growing Tips – Bonnie Plants

Learn expert tips for growing onions. They are a tasty, easy addition to your home vegetable garden. Growing onions is efficient and rewarding.

Growing onions is simple: If you can poke a hole into the ground, you can grow an onion from a little plant. Most of our onion varieties are sold as little seedlings in bare-root bundles; each plant will start growing within days after you plant. If you can't plant your onions right away, remove their bindings and place them in a bucket with 2 inches of moist soil in the bottom. Keep them in a cool, bright place but out of direct sun until you are ready to plant. A sunny basement is ideal.

Quick Guide to Growing Onions

Soil, Planting, and Care

Most gardeners want sweet onions, and the sweetness of an onion is determined by both nature and nurture. For the mildest onions, start with a variety known to produce sweet, mild-flavored bulbs such as Texas Sweet (at southern latitudes) or Walla Walla (at northern latitudes). For great results, start with Bonnie Plants® onion slips, strong plants grown by a company that has been helping home gardeners for over a century.

Growing onions requires abundant sun and good drainage, and they grow best when the soil pH ranges between 6. 0 and 6.8. Raised beds or raised rows made by mounding up soil are ideal, especially if your soil is heavy clay. Fill raised beds with a soil designed to be just the right weight and texture for raised beds, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Raised Bed Mix. For mounded rows, mix a 3-inch layer of compost or aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil into the top 6 inches of soil. Set plants 1 inch deep, so that their roots are well covered with soil but the top of the plant's neck is not buried too deeply. You don't want the part of the neck where the leaves grow away from the clear sheath to collect soil or water down between the young leaves, or they can rot. Space plants 6 inches apart in furrows 12 inches apart. Plants grow best when, in addition to being grown in top-quality soil, they're fed with just the right plant food. To ensure growing onions get all the nutrition they need, feed regularly throughout the season with Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, following label directions.

Onions roots are shallow and not very efficient at taking up moisture, so they need a steady supply of water to grow without interruption. Although they actually recover well from drought and start growing again when watered, it is best to keep the soil consistently moist until the bulbs enlarge.

You may mulch with a light layer of weed-free and herbicide-free grass clippings or another fine mulch. Onions naturally push toward the surface as they form bulbs, and it's best if the tops of the bulbs are allowed to bask in dry sun. Remove mulch that might keep the expanding bulbs excessively moist.

Seedlings that are about the diameter of a pencil produce the biggest, most beautiful bulbs, so some gardeners sort seedlings by size before planting. Plant the largest ones together only 2 inches apart to start enjoying as green onions in just two or three weeks. Very small seedlings set at close spacing can serve as a second crop of scallions. Use the pencil-sized plants to grow full-sized onions that will produce extra-juicy slices.

Troubleshooting

As onions leaves expand, they may be found by tiny black onion thrips, which suck sap from onion leaves. These are hard to see because they hide down in the folds and neck of the leaves. Also be on the lookout for aphids. Finally, weak plants that slowly wilt may be infested with onion root maggots, the larvae of a common fly. Contact your regional Extension agency for details on how to control these pests.

Harvest and Storage

You can harvest young onions just a few weeks after planting if you want to use them as "spring onions" or scallions. There is no perfect size, just pull when they are big enough to suit you.

For full-sized bulbs, let onions grow and mature. They are ready to harvest when the bulbs are big and the tops begin to turn yellow and fall over. Pull them up, shake off the soil, and lay them out to cure with the tops still attached. Any warm, airy location is a good place to do this; you can even sling them over a fence as long as they aren't rained upon. Bulbs must stay dry and have good air circulation. As the onions cure, the roots will shrivel and the necks above the bulbs will slowly dry – a natural process that helps to seal the top of the bulb, making the onions less likely to rot. After 7 to 10 days, clip off the tops of the onions and the roots with pruning shears, remove as much dry dirt as possible without taking off the papery outer skins, and store your onions in a cool place. Very sweet, juicy onions may be stored, wrapped in newspaper or paper towels, in the fridge.

Uniform and easy to grow, onion transplants will get off to a fast start. Separate before planting.Onions can be grown in raised beds, which offer superior drainage.These are young onions growing on a furrow, or mounded row.

Fall Gardening Onions Urban Gardening Vegetables

When To Plant Onions – Planting Guide 2022

Save for later!

1 shares

Onions are nutrient-dense and flavorful ingredients you can add to almost anything.

From salads to casseroles, you can’t go wrong with adding a handful of diced onions to spice things up.

Do you know what’s even more impressive? Because of their hardiness, onions are relatively easy to plant, too.

The key is knowing when to plant onions and how to care for them the right way.

When is the best time to plant onions? Onions are a cold-season crop, so the best time to plant them is in early spring. The cool weather will encourage them to grow tops. And as the weather warms up, that’s the time they form bulbs. If you live in mild-winter areas, plant onions in the fall instead.

What Is the Best Month To Plant Onions?

As with any plant, the best month to plant onions depends on your location and the climate in that area.

Basically, what you want is to make sure that the weather where you are is cool, not cold.

In most cases, this would be around late winter until mid-spring.

Again, if you live in an area with mild winters, you can start planting your onion seeds in the fall or winter.

Still, keep in mind that the leaves, roots, and bulbs develop in temperatures between 55 F and 75 F.

Once the leaves start to grow, you can expect your onions to survive in temperatures higher than 75 F.

Choosing Onion Seeds

Onion plants are very sensitive today, hours, or the number of hours they receive daylight.

Whether they form bulbs or not depends on the number of daylight hours in the region where you plant them.

Short-Day Onions

As the name suggests, this type of onion requires shorter days or about 10 hours of daylight.

It will begin forming bulbs once the day length reaches the 10-hour mark.

Keep in mind that if the top (leaves) does not get enough time to grow lush before the temperature changes, the bulbs won’t grow bigger, too.

Long-Day Onions

This onion variety requires around 14 to 15 hours of daylight to form bulbs.

If you plant long-day onions in an area that doesn’t get that much daylight, don’t expect them to develop bulbs.

Instead, you’ll only get the leaves.

Day-Neutral Onions

Compared to the other two, this type does not rely on the number of daylight hours where you plant it.

As such, you can plant day-neutral onions in almost any region.

Planting Onions in Different Climates

Plants need different conditions to grow and thrive.

If you want to try your hand at growing onions, focus on getting to know the weather conditions in your area first.

Below are general tips for planting onions in different climates:

Tropical Climate

Both the amount of rainfall and the level of moisture in the soil can make it challenging to grow onions in the tropics.

A hot, humid climate may cause them to rot in the ground, which is why you want to use well-draining soil to plant onions.

Planting in raised beds or raised rows using fertile, free-draining soil is the best way to go about it.

Dry Climate

Onions need constant moisture to develop bulbs. If they don’t get it, the bulbs will most probably split.

For this reason, the general rule of thumb is to water more frequently but make sure you don’t overwater them.

Temperate Climate

Places that don’t experience extreme heat or cold are the best growing conditions for onions.

Make sure you choose the correct type of onion to plant depending on the number of daylight hours in your area.

Continental Climate

You will have better chances growing onion from seeds if you plant them indoors first—around a month or two before the last frost date.

Then, transplant them into your garden as soon as the soil becomes workable.

Polar Climate

Again, onions can tolerate the cold but not so much that they can survive extremely cold winters.

In that case, you have to learn how to protect the onion plants from overwintering.

For this, you can add a good layer of mulch or choose to plant them in containers indoors instead.

How Long Do Onions Take To Grow?

For spring onions, you can start harvesting about a month after planting onion sets.

However, if you want the bulbs themselves, you’d have to have more patience.

Onions have a long growing season, usually taking about 90 days to reach maturity.

Some even take as long as five months to be ready for harvest.

How To Plant Onion Seeds

While it’s way easier to grow onions from bulbs, it’s possible to learn to grow them from seeds, too.

Just make sure you follow these steps to the T, and you should be fine.

Step 1: Choose the Right Seed Type

Depending on the growing zone you live in, you would want to pick the correct type of onion variety to ensure your success.

Short-day onions will grow best in areas under Zone 7 or warmer.

These onion varieties include Vidalia, Red Creole, and Red Burgundy.

If you’re from an area with colder climates, such as those categorized as Zone 6 or cooler, opt for long-day onions.

These can include White Sweet Spanish and Copra onions, as well as Alisa Craig onions.

If these two types don’t meet your requirements, you can always plant neutral-day onions, which grow in most regions.

Step 2: Start Seeds Indoors

Once you have the seeds, you can get ready to start them.

It’s important that you make sure you use the seeds you buy within two years after purchasing them. Otherwise, they might not sprout at all.

To start onion seeds, plan to plant them around eight to 10 weeks before the average last frost date.

During this time, the seeds will germinate into seedlings healthy enough to transplant outdoors.

Using a four-inch-deep container, plant the onion seeds following the instructions from the packet.

More often than not, this means sprinkling the seeds on dampened starting mix and lightly misting them with water.

Lastly, cover them with about an eighth of an inch more of the starting mix.

Step 3: Wait for the Seeds To Sprout

Place the container in a warm spot (about 70 F to 75 F).

If you live in a colder region, you can try using a heat mat to achieve the right conditions.

Cover the container with plastic or a humidity dome, and wait around seven to 10 days for the seedlings to emerge.

Step 4: Lower Humidity and Heat

Once you notice the seedlings, transfer the container to a cooler spot and remove the humidity dome or plastic.

Do this all while making sure the soil is kept moist and fertilized.

For fertilizer, you can use compost tea or diluted fish emulsion.

Step 5: Transplant the Seedlings in Your Garden

Seedlings are still very sensitive, so you want to harden them first before transplanting them.

To do this, gradually expose the seedlings to the conditions outdoors by leaving them outside for a couple of hours each day.

Then, place them back indoors for the night.

It’s best to do this around eight to 12 weeks before the last frost date in your region.

When they are about four inches tall, that’s when you know they are strong and healthy enough that you can transplant them into your outdoor garden.

How To Water Onions

As soon as you plant them outdoors, remember to give the plants enough water regularly.

Allowing the soil to dry just as the plants are forming bulbs might cause the bulbs to split.

Step 1: Water During the Day

As with any plant, water them in the morning as opposed to midday or evening.

Watering plants when the sun is high up will only cause the water to evaporate.

On the other hand, watering at night might result in wet foliage, which can encourage the development of diseases.

Step 2: Give the Plant Just Enough Water

Assuming you plant them in a mix of well-draining soil, give your onion plants a thorough soak every week.

This means giving them about an inch of water every seven days but don’t let the soil become soggy.

Doing this regularly means the soil around the bulbs doesn’t harden, giving them enough space to grow even bigger.

Step 3: Stop Watering and Allow Them To Mature

Notice the leaves falling over?

That’s the time when you need to stop watering your onion plants and let them finish maturing.

Leave them be for about a week or two before getting ready for harvest.

How To Grow Onions and Harvest Them

The last phase of learning how to grow onions is finding out how to harvest them.

In this stage, what’s important is to allow the bulbs to dry after pulling them out from the ground.

Here’s how to do this:

Step 1: Pull Out Each Plant

Onion bulbs in full size are about three to five inches in diameter.

You can also try checking for ripeness by looking for a soft spot about two to three inches above the bulb.

The best way to tell when it’s time to harvest is when about 80 percent of your onion plants already have bent tops.

When this happens, go ahead and harvest each bulb.

Step 2: Cure the Bulbs

Pick a cool, dry spot where you can spread the bulbs next to each other and allow them to air-dry.

It’s very important that you do this with the tops still on.

Wait for about a month before you prepare them for storage.

Step 3: Ready Them for Storage

Lastly, cut off each bulb’s top, leaving only about an inch or two behind.

Carefully brush away any dirt, and that’s it!

You can bring them store them as you would store onions, sell them, or give them away to friends and family.

Conclusion

If there’s a vegetable present in all cuisines, it is onion.

Onions are not only delicious but also packed with nutrients. In fact, it is loved for its ability to help lower inflammation and fight off free radicals.

For these reasons, more and more homesteaders are choosing to include onions in their home gardens.

And with this guide, we’re confident you are well on your way to harvesting your own batch of fresh onions very soon.

Related Articles:

Save for later!

1 shares

When to plant onions before winter

Tips

Which onion to choose for planting

Photo
Geronimo Giqueaux / unsplash

You can find different varieties of onion sets in stores. The most popular "Stuttgarter Riesen" and "Radar". Not all gardeners like the first one: it has a slightly flattened shape, and because of this it is not very convenient to cook. Bulbs of the Radar variety have an elongated shape. If you want to grow red onions, pay attention to the Red Baron and Carmen varieties, they are very similar. White onions are not planted before winter - they cannot withstand winter frosts.

How can I tell if an onion is suitable for planting? Very simple. You have to sniff it first. If you smell the slightest smell of rot, this onion should not be planted. Perhaps it was stored in a damp place and began to rot. Next, you need to weigh each onion in your hand. If it is too light, it means that it has dried up and will not work as planting material either.

Experienced gardeners advise choosing medium-sized bulbs for planting , because larger bulbs are more likely to freeze in winter. The selected onion must be put in a box and placed in a dry, warm place where it will wait for planting.

Photo
townsend walton / unsplash

How to prepare the garden

Onions are usually planted in October , focusing on the weather: when the daytime temperature drops to 5-8 degrees, and at night frosts are already possible landing. Onion loves the sun and warmth, so we set aside for it the sunniest beds in the south of the site. It is best if zucchini or pumpkin grew here before it. We try to choose a place for planting in advance - a month or at least two weeks in advance in order to have time to prepare the bed.

Photo
Annie Spratt / Unsplash

One square meter of garden bed will require a bucket of compost and half a bucket of wood ash - you can prepare it yourself. Onion ash is simply necessary, if you forget about it, you will never get a good harvest. In addition to ash and compost, two tablespoons of any complex fertilizer and one tablespoon of superphosphate should be added to one square meter of soil. Before planting, the earth must be dug up so that it becomes loose, and leveled with a rake .

Photo
Legion Media

Getting Started Planting

The grooves for planting onions should be shallow, about 5 cm, the distance between the grooves is 12 - 14 cm . The bulbs are not treated with anything before planting for the winter, they are planted dry, lowering into the soil by about 4 cm, the distance between the bulbs is 8-10 cm. This will keep your bow from freezing during the brutal December frosts that can hit before the snow has fallen. Cover the garden well - and wait for spring and a good harvest!

Photo
Riki Lifestyle / Unsplash

Tags

onion planting in April, May 2022

12 January 2022

5 comments

Onions are usually grown in 2 years: first, seeds are sown, from which sets grow in the first year, they are planted in the spring, and then in the fall of the second year, a large turnip is harvested. But if you sow the seeds early, you can grow full-fledged bulbs in a year. Onions are very useful for the human body due to the content of a large number of nutrients. That is why onions can be found in almost any garden and summer cottage. You can plant onions before winter or in spring. Today we will talk about exactly how to plant onions in the spring, and what needs to be done to get a good harvest.

How to prepare the soil

If you are going to plant onions outdoors in the spring, prepare them early in the fall. The place should be on a hill so that the water does not stagnate. The soil is better to choose loamy and neutral. Onion will not grow in acidic soil. The place should be well lit, since this culture is quite light-loving. Make sure that the bow is not shaded at all by tall trees or vegetables. Many vegetable growers forget about this moment, and as a result they get a crop worse than expected.

Next add 1 sq. m. 5 kg of rotted manure or compost. It also does not hurt to add potassium and phosphorus at the rate of 30 gr. per 1 sq.m. Before plowing, you can also add fresh, dry wood ash (5 sq.m. bucket). This will not only help fertilize the soil, but also reduce the number of pests in it.

Potatoes, melons, tomatoes, legumes are the best for onions. It is not recommended to grow onions in the same place more often than once every 3-4 years.

In the spring, when the soil thaws a little, add 1 tsp. ammonium nitrate per 1 sq.m. Immediately before sowing seeds or planting onion sets, the soil is loosened to a depth of 12 cm, the bed is lightly tamped. Then the soil is watered with warm water and covered with a film for 2-3 days before sowing. Immediately before planting, the soil must be leveled: in a hilly area, the seeds will be sown unevenly, due to which the seedlings will be uneven.

Sowing onion seeds in spring

Onion seeds that you intend to sow in March or April 2020 should not be older than 2 years, and it is best to use freshly purchased seeds. Before starting sowing, the seeds are soaked in water for 24 hours (while the water must be changed after 3-4 hours). Seeds that you have collected yourself or that you are not sure about are recommended to be treated. The easiest way to do this is a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, in which the seeds are soaked for 45 minutes. After that, for 18 hours, the seed is soaked in Epin (2 drops of the drug per 100 ml of water). It is worth noting that if the seeds were purchased from a specialized store, they do not need to be pre-treated, since the manufacturer did this before sale.

Spring onions are planted after the frost has passed. Although this culture is quite cold-resistant and able to survive short-term drops in temperature, you need to wait until the temperature is 2-3 ° C above zero. Under such conditions, onion seeds begin to germinate. With early sowing of onions, you can get a full-fledged crop of bulbs, which will be no smaller in size than when grown from onion sets, but it may not be stored for a long time. If you sow the seeds a little earlier, when cold snaps are still expected at night, the crops can be covered with a film, which is removed when the first shoots appear.

Remove the film before sowing and water the soil with warm water. The most common method of sowing seeds is 3-4-line tapes, the distance between rows is about 15 cm. The seeds themselves are sown at a distance of 1-1.5 cm and at a depth of 1 cm. For the convenience of the sowing process, the seeds are mixed with sifted sand. Crops are sprinkled with soil, they can also be mulched.

Onion seeds can be sown not only in early spring. This is often done in several steps. The second sowing is carried out when the soil warms up to 10-12 ° C. At this time, the first sowing will already give good shoots. In this case, the crop will consist of medium and small bulbs. The seeds are sown for the third time in May, when the soil warms up to 15 ° C and above. From such crops, onion sets are obtained, which can be planted the next year.

You can loosen the soil even before the first shoots appear. As soon as 1 true leaf appears, the seedlings need to be thinned out, repeating the procedure when 2-3 leaves appear. At the same stage, you can carry out the first top dressing with organic matter, for example, with a solution of slurry (1:15). The following top dressing can be carried out as follows: 1.5 tsp are taken for 10 liters of water. potassium sulfate and 1 tbsp. superphosphate. Such top dressing will accelerate the ripening of the bulbs.

Spring onion planting and care

Often, gardeners do not want to bother with crops, so they plant onion sets, which are grown from seeds and are a small onion. Before you figure out when to plant onions in the spring, you need to know how to choose planting material. Bulbs should not be sprouted, they should not be damaged and rot, since such specimens cannot grow a healthy bulb. If you are going to buy planting material, it is better to choose high-quality, not discounted, which meets all the requirements. Seeds that are suitable for planting are dense, with a smooth, shiny husk.

In May, you can plant onion sets in any climatic zone of Ukraine, but you can do it earlier. For this culture, it is not the date that is more important, but the weather conditions. In addition, many gardeners often turn to the lunar calendar to get a better and healthier crop. So, according to the lunar calendar 2020, planting onions in the spring on the head can be carried out on such days:

As for the soil temperature, it is not lower than 12 °C for planting a seedling. Do not rush to plant sevok too early in unheated soil. We recommend paying attention not only to the phases of the moon, but also to the weather forecast. Planting onions is best on a dry day.

How to plant seeds in spring? After you have discarded empty and rotten specimens, those that will go for planting need to cut off the dry tail. This way the bulbs will grow faster. Also, like seeds, sevok can be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate for 2–3 hours before planting (make a dark pink solution). Copper sulphate is also suitable for these purposes (dilute 1 tsp in 10 liters of water and immerse the onions for 10 minutes).

For planting bulbs, grooves should be made up to 10 cm deep and 15 cm apart. Bulbs are planted at a distance of 10 cm from each other. On top of the planting, you can sprinkle with wood ash for fertilizer, and then with soil.

Next, the sowing, as well as the crops of onion seeds, needs to be looked after. It is recommended to loosen the soil so that a crust does not form on the surface of the soil, which makes it difficult for plants to grow. You also need to remove weeds that appear even earlier than the first shoots. Onions should be regularly watered 1-2 times a week during the active growing season. When the bulbs begin to ripen, watering should be reduced to 1 time in 2 weeks. If it rains in summer, watering can be omitted. It is not necessary to water the onions 3 weeks before harvest.

It is equally important to feed onions throughout the season, as the culture responds well to timely feeding. For the first time (a month after planting the sevka), you can use rotted mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:15). Fertilizers are applied at the rate of 10 liters per 1 sq.m. Re-feed the onions 3 weeks after the previous time with ammonium nitrate or potassium sulfate (15 g per 1 sq.m.). Then the bed is watered. You can also treat pests: 1 tsp. copper sulfate, 35 ml of liquid soap per 10 liters of water. The ground part of the onion is sprayed with a working solution. When the leaves began to fall, and then turn yellow and dry, it was time to harvest.

Although it is believed that it is better to plant onions (especially sets) before winter, this can also be done in spring. If you do it on time, the harvest will not be worse.

Learn more