Growing Onions for Beginners, and Popular Varities for the Garden

Onions like an abundance of moisture and a temperate climate, without extremes of heat or cold during the growing season. Green onions and scallions grow well in all zones, while bulb onions prefer zones 3 and warmer.

In warmer climates, plant onions for a growing season of fall, winter and spring. In colder climates, plant for a growing season of spring, summer and fall.

Planting Onions

Onions love lots of sun and rich, well-drained soil. Apply compost or mushroom manure to low-fertility soils, and a natural source of phosphorus such as bonemeal or rock phosphate. Onions also need a good source of potassium in the soil, such as kitchen compost or fireplace ashes.

Dig the soil until it is free from clods of earth and remove rocks over 1 inch in diameter. Onions can be started in a few different ways:

• Purchasing sets, which are like tiny onion bulbs.
• Purchasing bunches of green sets, (mainly for sweet onions).
• Starting seeds (best for long-storing and cooking onions).
• Purchasing seedlings.

For summer harvest, start seeds indoors 3 to 4 months before the last spring frost. Set out 3 to 4 inches apart a month before the last frost. For a fall harvest, sow the seeds outdoors a month before the last frost of winter. Thin to 3 to 4 inches apart.

For a quick crop, plant the sets, or "onion bulbs." Plant sets 1 inch deep and 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Once the shoots are almost 1 foot tall, pull up every other one for use as scallions.

Tips for Growing Onions

• Keep onions well weeded. Onions have very thin leaves and can easily become shaded out by competing plants.
• Water during dry periods, and fertilize with fish fertilizer or compost tea to encourage good early growth.
• The first few months of care will determine the eventual bulb size.
• Small onions are caused by unsuitable onions for the zone, or not enough feeding and watering in early life.
• Onions with empty centre point to drought early in the planting season.
• Watch for onion maggots; use row covers supported by hoops to keep out the onion maggot fly, which lays the egg that hatches the maggot.

Read more about the prevention of root-eating pests in Worms are Eating my Root Vegetables.

Popular Onion Types for the Garden

• Potato Onion - called the multiplier onion, they form a cluster of underground bulbs, and are often harvested in the second year after planting. Eat the large bulbs, and replant the small ones.
The copyright of the article Growing Onions for Beginners, and Popular Varities for the Garden in Perennials is owned by Jojo Sigurgeirson. Permission to republish Growing Onions for Beginners, and Popular Varities for the Garden in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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