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Growing Onions from Onion Sets

July 25, 2012 By: Anna3 Comments

Onion Sets

When it comes to gardening, I am a purist and grow plants via seeds.  Well, growing onions from seed has been very challenging to me.  I just never got past the whisper of a seedling for most of my onion plants.  So, this spring I decided to grow onion sets (red, yellow, and white.)  How was my first year of onion sets?  First, let’s talk about planting first.  Then I talk about harvesting in another post.

There are several type of onions:  short, intermediate, and long day varieties.  See here which onion based upon your climate is the right one for you.

Also, note that sets can bolt; whereas seedlings will not.

Back to the Beginning. Planting.

I planted the onion sets in late April which is later than I should have.  Normally, you should plant them 4-6 weeks before your frost date or as soon as you can work the soil.   The general rule is  four inches apart, 1 inch deep with the pointy side of the bulb up, a foot or more between rows.

Also, when the onions start to push their leaves through the soil, you can easily confuse them to be weeds. Mark them.  I used  leftover plastic silverware that I kept from prior uses.  (Note, leftover chopsticks or straws  works great too.)

Use a good organic fertilizer.   ( I use Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer as a general fertilizer.)  Barbara Pleasant of Mother Earth News (my guru) explains:

“Mix in a 1-inch layer of mature compost. Make a 4-inch-deep, V-shaped furrow in the prepared bed. Fill the bottom of the furrow with 1 inch of rich compost or a light dusting of dry organic fertilizer, and then water the prepared furrow. Set out seedlings or sets 3 to 6 inches apart, depending on the plants’ mature size.”

My beds contain lots of compost so I didn’t do this step.  Be careful of over fertilizing the onions.   Organic Gardening says to go easy on the nitrogen fertilizer since you don’t want lush tops in lieu of nice bulbs.

However, I did  occasionally sprayed them with Neptune’s Harvest Organic Fish & Seaweed Fertilizer.  (I use this fertilizer for all my plants. Love it.)

By the way, the onions don’t like weed competition.  I used ground up leaves for mulch to keep the weeds at bay.  (You can store leaves in the Fall.)

Previously, I have used straw as mulch in my beds; however,  the straw produces grass.  Who needs the extra weeding?

Disease Control

I didn’t have any issues except with animals digging in that bed.  (Yes, yet another post.  Those darn animals.)  However,   pests such as thrips and onion maggots as well as smut can damage your crops onions.  Organic Gardening suggested to intermingle your onions throughout the garden.  It reduces the extensive damage of onion maggots and benefits your other plants too.

“Allium species will ward off pests—such as aphids, Japanese beetles, and carrot flies—from roses, lettuce, carrots, beets, parsnips, and members of the cabbage family.”

I love OG’s suggestion to use some sand at the base to discourage flies from laying eggs.  I have more flies than you can imagine.

So, that’s the skinny on planting onions.

Updated:  Be sure to read Year 2 of growing onion sets complete with planting video!

Join the Conversation:

  • Do you use transplant, sets, or grow your own seedlings?  Which one have you had the best luck with?
  • What advice can you give about planting onions?
  • Did your onions suffer from any diseases?  If so, how do you treat the disease?
Photo by Cristina 

Gardener's Supply Company

Similar Posts:

  • Growing Onions from Seeds and Sets
  • Growing Onion Sets + Planting Video.
  • Harvesting Onions: Learn from my First Year Experience
  • Vegetable Seedlings Not Cooperating! Angered the Gardening Gods?
  • Comfrey Fertilizer: Your Garden’s Best Friend

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About Anna

Anna Hackman is the editor of Green Talk, and owner of The Naked Botanical and a avid (okay obsessed) gardener. She also loves video and podcasting and hosts Green Talk TV and Green Talk Radio. Her most important role is being a mother of four boys.

Chat with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest , and Google+.

Comments

  1. 2

    John O'Neill says

    August 11, 2012 at 5:29 pm

    I have gone over completely to Egyptian tree onions. Easy. The “sets” grow on the tips of the flowerstalk. The leaves can be taken sparingly as green onions. The bulbs are like shallots, sweet and tasty. Much more useful than the pyramids!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Harvesting Onions: Learn from my First Year Experience | Green Talk® says:
    July 30, 2012 at 9:17 pm

    […] onions.  Let me correct myself.  The first year to actually harvest an onion.  As I mentioned in my how to plant onions, for years I have attended the onion seedling dance party and never was picked to dance with an […]

    Reply
  2. Growing Onion Sets + Planting Video. says:
    March 19, 2013 at 11:48 am

    […] onions are so darn easy I don’t know why more people don’t grow them.  I grew about 25 red,yellow and white onions for the first time last year.  For years I struggled with […]

    Reply

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