Onions are quite simple to grow, and well-prepared bulbs may be trusted to store well for up to six months. Similar to potatoes, there is something profoundly satisfying about the substantial harvest you can obtain from even a tiny space, and since they serve as the basis for so many dishes, there is a benefit to cultivating your own. So let's not waste any more time and get started on how to grow and harvest onions.
How to Get Started
Bulb onions are typically available in the classic colors of yellow and red, but you should also keep an eye out for white kinds, which are frequently bigger, milder, and perfect for thinly slicing into salads. Add some onions to your plan, then research on the ideal sowing, planting, and harvesting dates for your particular area.
Onions grow better in a sunny and open location in well-drained soil that has been amended with organic matter, such as rotten manure and compost. You can grow your onions in raised beds or on mounds to assist the soil drainage if your soil tends to stay too moist.
How to Grow Onions Indoors
To get an early start, plant onion seeds in plug trays or pots that will later be used to transfer seedlings. Due to the shelter provided by a greenhouse or cold frame, sowing can begin as least a month earlier in late winter as a result, eliminating the need for thinning out and encouraging a more cost-effective usage of seeds.
Seed-starting or all-purpose potting mix should be added to plug trays, and it should be firmly packed into the cells. Pinch four to eight seeds per cell and then cover with additional potting soil to a depth of between 1/4 and 1/2 inch (1cm). water sprayed finely.
To prevent upsetting the sensitive roots, transplant the resulting seedlings when they are still relatively young. Create holes in the prepared ground, place each clump of seedlings there, and then firm the soil around them and water them. To save space and time, transplant onion seedlings in groups.
How to Grow Onions Outside
In the spring, you can start the growing process as soon as the soil is workable and has warmed up a little. Mark out seed drills approximately one foot (30 cm) apart and one-half inch (1 cm) deep after leveling the soil with a rake. Extremely thinly scatter the seeds, cover them again, and then water the rows to help them take root. If you want a lot of smaller onions, thin the seedlings gradually until they are about 2 inches (5 cm) apart, or if you want fewer but larger bulbs, thin them to approximately 4 inches (10 cm).
Row cover or fleece can be used to hasten the process at the beginning of the season and may lessen the likelihood of bolting in early transplants.
Additionally, certain particularly hardy onion cultivars may be sown in the late autumn to endure the winter and produce an additional early harvest in the spring or early summer. Planting onion sets provides a quick path to achievement.
Growing Onions From Sets
Onion transplants for immediate planting may be available in many areas. Sets of plants are an option. The super-simple to cultivate and time-saving sets of onions are already partially grown. They pose a higher risk of bolting (flowering), which turns the bulb into something that is too difficult to consume, and they don't preserve as well as onions grown from seed or transplants. However, types that have undergone heat treatment and are less prone to bolting are also offered.
Though when it comes to convenience, sets are unquestionably superior. mid-spring, once the earth is pliable and has somewhat warmed up, plant sets into prepared, weed-free ground.
Caring for Onions
When onions are transplanted from plug trays, they can either be left alone or thinned off after a short period of growth to produce larger bulbs. The thinnings can be eaten as green onions.
In dry weather, onions need to be kept moist since they have shallow roots. Keep up with weeds by carefully hoeing between rows and hand-weeding inside the rows to protect the roots.
Harvesting and Storing Onions
Once the majority of the leaves have bowed down to the ground, it is almost time for harvest. Over the coming weeks, bulbs will keep expanding until neatly coloring up in time for harvest.
When they're ready, raise the ones intended for storage under cover to dry and lift the others with a fork or shovel. Ideal forms of protection include airy sheds and greenhouses of all sizes. Simply leave the onions in their current location on the soil surface in warm, dry areas. A strong airflow should exist between the bulbs and you can achieve this by separating them. Racks or a storage basket can be useful here. The onion's outer peel becomes tougher during this two-week drying process, known as "curing," making it easier to store.
Store onions by hanging them from hanging nets, bundling them, or weaving them into lovely strings. Onions should last as long as spring, and preferably until midwinter.