How to grow Onions
Onions are a staple in our household, it seems we use them in everything. Even though they are normally quite inexpensive I still prefer to know exactly where they came from, which is why I always try to grow as many as I can each year. Here I will share a few tips which will help you be successful when growing your onions this year.
Plan the varieties you grow so you know what sort of shelf life to expect and how you can use them appropriately. Some varieties are for fresh use and do not store well.
All varieties can be grown by seed and it is common to get them started indoors early in the season. February 1st is about average start date. These seedlings need to be kept in very bright light and moved to cool to cold growing conditions as soon as possible. A small cold frame is useful to keep the seedlings going until the ground is thawed enough to plant them out. Watch the weather and as soon as the ground is thawed you’re good to plant.
The other method of growing onions is from sets or you bare root seedlings that are pre-grown and ready to go or you can purchase onion sets. Any of these methods are acceptable and are often a lot easier. These pre-grown plants can be planted straight out as soon as the soil is workable.
The key to growing onions is that as soon as the season starts warming up you should put a tent of insect screen over them to keep the onion maggots away. Feeding is helpful for sure and don’t keep them too soggy and wet as they do have some issues with soil born diseases that could attack if conditions allow.
And finally always rotate this crop to help prevent diseases from building up. Happy Gardening!
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Ken Salvail
