Onion Growing 2025

Some of the Japanese onion sets I planted in the autumn are coming up now
They are in deep troughs and outside, but I've put them in shelter under some staging.

 

Sowed my Kelsae seeds about 10 days ago in my heated propogator, not a hope in snowballs of growing onions outside over winter here I am afraid. Not a sign of anything yet so will just have to be patient, not a quality I am heavily endowed with. I have lost count of the number of times I have had a wee rootle around to see if anything is happening only to promptly squash some poor unsuspecting seedling before it even gets to see the light of day. I tell myself not to do that ….until I do just that again.

 

Might try some last years seeds, I usually don't sow until late February though

Do you put the onion seedlings in the greenhouse or keep them inside until later?

 

I may try seeds this year ... any suggestions for a smallish variety suitable for a raised bed ?
and I only want a few since it's only myself here now.

I may take the Japanese onions out from under the staging, because I thought earlier they were becoming etiolated.

 

I've only grown red barron in recent years, and one or two of them get too big for my liking.

For cooking and smaller sized I used to grow Zebrune a long shaped type of shallot with a nice flavour, even from seed you get multiple bulbs.

 

I think it would, I buy them sometimes for eating.

That sounds as if it would suit me too.

Thank you both.

 

I sowed my Kelsaes on boxing day. I was informed that if I didn't do it that day I was not serious and would get bad luck. I know that's not true but I got into the habit.

 

No, unfortunately mine take weeks. I don't have them on heat mats or anything so I'm waiting for germination "au naturel".

I've got a tray of 28 soil blocks. I haven't finished eating last year's crop which was a bit more than that. I want to try growing butternut squash because they are deadly expensive here and I have a recipe that makes heavenly soup from them and the 28 (if they all germinate) would use up less space and make room for the squash.

 

Okay, I can't count. I've got 32 soil blocks in which 4 seeds have sprouted already!

 

As well as growing some Kelsae from seed,( a few have germinated so far in my heated propagator @JWK ) I will grow quite a few from sets. Here I have found Sturon to be about the best variety. Just looking at what is available to buy and see someone on Ebay is selling sacks of Sturon ( I go through huge amounts of onions) and saying they are quite big for sets. Am I right in thinking it is not that good idea to buy big sets as more likely to bolt or is this not true? They are saying you will get about 135 in 1kg while I have bought 1kg of Sturon in the past and get about 250 plus sets so much smaller. The cost of the bigger ones is about the same as for lots more smaller ones. Which should I go for? Thanks.