Onions (maincrop)

shovel's picture
shovel Posted at 23:48 on Fri, 22/08/2008
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Intro
Intro picture: 
Growing onions
Intro: 

Growing onions from onion bulbs pre-started into growth before sale (called onion sets) is easier and more reliable than from seed and makes growing onions a fairly simple matter.

Here's a how-to on both methods...

Location and soil
Type of soil: 

Onions do well in a rich, light soil, but it is most important the soil is firm. Prepare the soil well in advance of planting and rotate the onion bed in the same way as the rest of the allotment beds.

Location: 

Onions like a sunny position

Sowing seeds
Seed picture: 
Sowing seeds: 

Seeds
Sow maincrop onion seeds as soon as your soil warms up (around 50 degrees f or 10 degrees c) – end of Feb to beginning of April for an August to September crop.

Sow the onion seeds very thinly into drills 7mm(1/4") deep, in rows 30cm(12") apart. finely cover the seeds with soil and gently water in. Germination takes around three weeks.

Thin out your onion seedlings when they have pushed through the soil and are standing vertical to about 3cm (1") apart and then again later to 12cm (4") apart. Thin carefully when the soil is moist and remove thinnings from the bed so as not to attract onion fly.

Onion sets
Plant out your onion sets mid March to mid April... 12cm (4") apart in rows 30cm (12"). Make a small hole in the soil and plant the onion set so the growing tip is just at the surface. Firm and water in.

Looking after the crop
General care: 

Watering will be required in dry periods until the middle of August. Stop watering then to encourage the maturing process. Weed thoroughly throughout the growing season.

Harvesting the crop
Harvesting: 

Maincrop onions are ready for harvesting a week or so after the foliage starts to turn brown and tips over .

Pick a dry day, ease the onions roots from the soil with a fork and leave the onions to dry in the sun.If the weather is wet lay the onion plants in trays or on sacking in a well ventilated area indoors.

Maincrop onions should keep for about a couple of months

Heat treated sets

shovel Posted at 00:07 on Sat, 08/23/2008

Buy 'heat treated' onion sets - this treatment kills the flower embryo and helps prevent bolting.

Onions

algynon Posted at 14:40 on Tue, 11/11/2008

I know an old chap who grows maincrop onions from sets who strings them up hangs them on his garden fence and he is still using some and giving some away the following march He as also got topper shallots which he has reselected for quite a few years and I personally can recommend them

White Rot

Dave G Posted at 16:36 on Thu, 07/23/2009

My garden has developed "onion White Rot" which reading all gardening books sounds really serious, nearly making one wondering wether there is any point in persisting as it seems to infect all Allium varieties.

Has anyone any experience with this diease - any remedies ?