Anybody start onions indoors?

[bilmac]

I can grow nice onions from sets, but not seed. The alternative would be starting them indoors, but I've never done it before. The packages say sow them about an inch apart in a common tray. I guess that would be something like the way rice is started. The package says put them out as soon as the groung can be worked. That sounds pretty early.
I have some trays about 12" square but only 3" deep, would these do?
Anybody have any suggestions?

[jvs]

I haven't put them out just yet.  I am waiting for the 'onion snow', folk lore about when you should start planting the early things like onions, cabbage, spinach etc.  I dont believe you get much of a head start by starting onion seed indoors.


Onions can take the cold weather, so putting them out this time of year won't hurt them as long as the ground can be worked.  I have left bunching onions out there year round, and had a crop in early April. I have also planted a row or two of bunching onion seed in the fall for the spring crop.


I was in Tractor Supply the other day and was checking out the Onion Sets but I decided to give it a couple of more weeks.  Even though with this winter they probably could go out now.


In any case, cold weather won't hurt Onions.  Or Garlic for that matter.

[charles p]

I'm on the NC coast.  I put 100 bulbs in the ground about a month ago.  Most are about 12" high now, and all are leaning to the south to catch some sunshine.

[longwinters]

With 18" of snow on the ground it'll be a while yet before onion planting time here.  Though I could buy some green onions, cut the tops off and stick them in snow balls out in the yard....
 
Long

[Graybeard]

I always use sets as I've never had any success with seeds. I've planted thousands of them heck as small as they are maybe tens of thousands and it always seems a wasted effort.

Down here I can grow them outside year round and enjoy fresh onions even in winter. Kinda reminds me it's time to put out some sets as I'm running low on fresh green onions.

I have let some go to seed in the past and some times they will produce from those seeds if I leave them alone.

[cjclemens]

I normally do onion sets, but I found some seed my dad bought last year.  Just planted a few of them in pots yesterday to see what happens since I've never tried them before.  If they fail - no big deal - I still have time to do sets.  Besides, I plowed my garden last fall with a moldboard plow, so I wont be putting anything out before I get a chance to level it back out with the disk...not to mention the 1/2" of snow we just got here.  Oh well, if I cant get anything done outside, ill start it all inside.

[bilmac]

My experience has been the same, sets work, seed not. I just worry that sets may not always be there, it's not a sustainable way to garden. If I can figure out how to grow onions from seeds then the next step will be to get seeds from this biannual plant.

[jvs]

After thinking about this for a little bit, you might be better off splitting the growing of onions from seeds into two growing seasons  instead of just one.


Because of winter here, I would put out sets that I got from seeds the year before.  In other words, I would start seeds one year, dig them up in fall, and use them as sets the following year.  An assembly line like that could work if you pick the right type of onion that breeds true.


I dont normally see onion seeds available.  However the Commercial operations do sometimes offer very small onion plants available in spring.  If they can start from seeds, so can anybody else.  The problem is how long the growing season is and if the extra month or so you gain by using sets makes a real difference.  I am better off by using sets instead of seeds for that reason.

[cjclemens]

I'm no expert on onions, but its my understanding that you have to start seeds super early - like December/January - if you want decent onions to eat  from them.  If you wait till early March to start them indoors, you'll end up using them as sets because they wont get big enough to bother slicing.  This year is my first year with onion seeds, and I've got some seriously mixed results as far as germination and emergence.  Some may end up being sets for next year, and some may just end up in  the compost heap.  Oh well, still plenty of time to buy sets from the store.

[bilmac]

The package says to start them indoors 6 weeks before and then set them out as soon as the ground can be worked. The ground is thawed now, but I couldn't be planting them now because there is no irrigation water in the ditch. I started then the first of this week which I think will be about 6 weeks before they turn on the ditch.
You don't grow anything in this part of the world if you don't irrigate.

[keith44]

I'm trying something I watched a former neighbor do.  I am attempting a permenant onion bed that other than mulching with leaves in the fall needs no further input.  I started with more sets than I could ever need, some of those bore seed last fall, I expect others to seed out this year.  The over wintered onions are about a foot tall now, and several smaller onion growths are showing through the mulch.  We will see...

As for starting onion seeds indoors, someone already said it should have been done in Janurary.

[keith44]

The package says to start them indoors 6 weeks before and then set them out as soon as the ground can be worked. The ground is thawed now, but I couldn't be planting them now because there is no irrigation water in the ditch. I started then the first of this week which I think will be about 6 weeks before they turn on the ditch.
You don't grow anything in this part of the world if you don't irrigate.

Makes me thankful to have plenty of rain, and clay soil