Planting Onions - A How-To Guide

Growing onions has become a tradition for many backyard vegetable gardeners. They are easy to plant, maintain and harvest. Growing your own onions is also economical. A typical onion seed packet might cost two dollars and is capable of producing dozens of onions. By growing your own, you also have a lot more varieties to choose from than you might find in your local grocery store. Once harvested, onions can be stored for several months as is, or chopped up and frozen until ready to use. If you like to cook, you know that onions are used as an ingredient in thousands of recipes.

Onions generally come in white, yellow, and red varieties. These varieties will vary greatly in taste, from mild and sweet to strong and pungent. You can also get green onions (scallions) by harvesting immature onion plants, before the bulb begins to enlarge. Additionally, if you are interested in growing only scallions, try bunching onion varieties. Bunching onions never develop a bulb and are grown exclusively to be used as scallions.

Depending on your climate, onions are planted at different times of the year. Your climate will also dictate the type of onion you grow. There are two main types of onions -short day and long day. Short day varieties are mainly grown in warmer climates during the winter time. These types of onions do best when there are about 12 hours of daylight. Long day varieties are grown in colder regions and do best when daylight hours extend to 15-16 hours. In very warm climates with mild winters, most folks plant short-day onion varieties in the fall. In cooler climates, long-day onion varieties are planted in the early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. Typically, onions are a cooler season crop and do not do well in very hot weather. If you are in doubt about when to plant onions, you'll probably be better off starting in the early spring.

When growing onions, the soil should be loose and airy to a depth of 8 inches. Additionally, the soil should drain well. If the soil stays waterlogged, the onions will rot before they have a chance to grow. Also, they should be planted in a spot that gets 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Onions are also an excellent choice for container gardening because they don't take up much space.

Onions can be used in a wide variety of recipes. They can be fried, sauteed, roasted and eaten raw on sandwiches or in salads. Additionally, onions are used to flavor lots of different sauces and soups. Onions are packed with vitamins and minerals and also contain quercitin, a potent antioxidant. To learn more about the health benefits of onions and lots of other foods, visit foods-healing-power.com. They have lots of great information about using different foods to naturally heal your body, mind and soul.

Planting Onions - A How-To Guide

When it comes to planting onions, you have three choices - you can start with seeds, seedlings or sets. There are advantages and disadvantages that go along with each method.

If you start with seeds, you'll probably have more variety to choose from. Onion seeds are also much cheaper than seedlings. However, unless you live in a very warm climate, you have to start the seeds indoors early, about 9 weeks before the last expected heavy frost in your area. If you live in a very warm climate with very mild winter months, you can plant onions in the fall. If this is your situation, start the onion seeds sometime in late summer. Another disadvantage to starting onions from seed is you have to get topsoil or potting soil and find a place indoors that gets plenty of sunlight. Some gardeners just don't have the space indoors to start onions from seed. Others just don't want to invest the time or effort. If this sounds like you, you can start with seedlings or sets.

Onion seedlings, also known as starts, are a little bit more expensive than seeds, but can be planted directly in the garden. Most onion seedlings come in bundles. They are basically a group of onion plants about the thickness of a pencil. These plants can easily be planted in your garden very quickly and will produce onions in 60-80 days. Most garden centers only sell a couple of different varieties of onion seedlings, so your choices are limited.

Onion sets are more commonly available in most garden centers. They are basically a bunch of small onion bulbs, about the size of a large garlic clove. Onion sets are sold in bags or containers. Each bulb will produce a full sized onion if allowed to mature fully. Sets will also produce green onions as well. They are slightly more expensive than onion seeds, but are easy to plant and usually produce good results.

Planting Onions From Seed

Start by purchasing onion seeds, topsoil or potting soil and flats. Flats are plastic trays that are divided into small sections. Each section can be filled with dirt and becomes it's own small container. Choose onion seeds that are suited to your particular climate. Fill the flats with good quality top soil or potting soil, leaving 1/4 inch at the top. Put a seed on top of the soil in each compartment. Add soil on top of the seed until each compartment is full. Place the flats in a location where they get 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. Keep the soil moist by lightly watering the flats every few days. When the seedlings reach 4 inches tall, they are ready to be transplanted into the garden or a larger container. To remove the seedlings from the containers, tug gently on the them near the base of the soil. The entire plant should come out in one piece. The part that was buried should be about the diameter of a pencil.

Once you have your seedlings, either homegrown or purchased, it's time to put them in your garden. Onions are usually grown in rows. Choose a location that gets 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. Start by making sure that the soil is tilled to a depth of at least 8 inches. Now is also the time to fertilize your onion patch.


To plant the seedlings, poke holes in the ground with your finger or the end of a hoe. The holes should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. If the onions you are planting are large, space the holes 6-8 inches apart. If you are growing a smaller variety, space the holes 4-6 inches apart. If planting more than one row of onions, space the rows at least a foot apart. Place the onion seedlings into the holes so that the stems and roots are beneath the soil surface. Make sure that the green tops are above the soil surface. Backfill any remaining space with loose soil and tamp down lightly. Once you have finished planting onions, water the seedlings in well.

If you are planting onion sets, the process is similar to planting garlic. After tilling, use your finger or the handle of a hoe to poke holes in the dirt. The holes should be about 1 1/2 inches deep. Space the holes about 6 inches apart. If planting multiple rows, space the rows at least 12 inches apart. Place the onion set into the hole with the neck end pointing up and the roots pointed down. Cover with loose soil, making sure that the top of the stem is just barely below the surface of the soil. After planting onion sets, water them in thoroughly.
Follow the same directions for planting onion seedlings or sets in containers. Make sure to choose a container that has good drainage holes and is at least 10 inches deep. Fill the pot with good quality potting soil or top soil. Depending on the diameter of the container and the variety of onion you want to grow, you can fit several onion seedlings into a single container. Be sure to place the container in a location that will get 6-8 hours of daily direct sunlight.

Now that you have finished planting onions, it's time to think about watering your crop.

Fertilizing and Watering Onions

When watering onions, it's important to keep the soil moist, but not wet. Onions tend to rot easily in soggy soil. When fertilizing onions, it's important to use a nitrate based fertilizer and not a sulfate based fertilizer. A fertilizer made with sulfate tends to make onions more pungent and less sweet. With good watering and fertilizing techniques, your onion crop will get the boost it needs to produce lots of juicy, sweet onions.

Watering Onions

It's a good idea to keep the soil in your onion patch consistently moist. Onions have shallow roots, so deep soaks are not necessary. You will be better off watering onions every couple of days if no rain falls in your area. A drip irrigation system will work great, but they can be expensive to install. A soaker hose will work just fine. You can also use an adjustable sprayer attached to the end of a hose. Set the sprayer on the mist setting and give your onion plants enough water to make the soil on top very damp. You can also use a watering can, just be sure to water slowly enough so that the soil around the bulbs does not wash away.
It's a good idea to water onions in the early morning or evening hours. Since you are not watering very deeply, you don't want the sun to evaporate the water from the surface of the soil before it has a chance to penetrate it.

You can apply a thin layer of mulch in your onion patch. This will help to keep the soil evenly moist. Grass clippings, straw or chopped up leaves work well as mulch. Just remember to pull back the mulch layer when the plants get large so they will have room to begin to push themselves out of the soil.

Fertilizing Onions

It's best to fertilize the soil in your onion patch before you plant the onion seedlings or sets. Choose a timed release, balanced granular fertilizer, like 10-10-10 or 12-12-12. Mix it into the soil before planting. An easy way to accomplish this is to scatter the granules on the ground and then till the soil one last time. Apply the granules at the rate suggested by the manufacturer - usually 1 1/2 pounds per 100 square feet. Again, try to use a nitrate based fertilizer instead of a sulfate based one. This will make your onions more sweet and mild. You also won't cry nearly as much when you chop them up.

If you want to grow onions organically, work a layer of compost or well rotted manure into the soil before planting. The layer should be a couple of inches thick.

Once you are done planting, you shouldn't have to fertilize your onion patch again until next year.

Now that you know about fertilizing and watering onions, it's time to think about harvesting them.

Harvesting Onions

If you are interested in green onions, otherwise known as scallions, you can think about harvesting onions as soon as they are big enough for your liking. If you are interested in very thin scallions, you can harvest them 3 weeks or so after planting. If you are looking for slightly bigger green onions, you can harvest those 4-5 weeks after planting.

To harvest green onions, simply grab them by the stalk near the soil and tug gently. They usually come out easier if the soil is slightly damp. Green onions can and should be used soon after harvesting. Simply wash the dirt off and chop to the size you want. Scallions will last in the refrigerator for up to a week. However, for maximum flavor, try to eat them as soon as possible after harvesting.

If you are more intent on harvesting full sized onions, you will have to wait a bit longer. Let the bulbs enlarge and mature. As the bulbs get big, they will almost push themselves out of the ground. You will eventually see almost 3/4 of the onion bulb sitting upright on top of the ground.

Wait until the tops begin to turn yellow and start to fall over before harvesting onions. The tips of the tops will also start to turn brown and dry out. Again grasp the plant near the soil surface and pull gently. Harvesting onions is usually much easier if the

soil is damp. After you've pulled the onions up, shake of the dirt, but don't wash them. Leaving the tops on, let them cure for at least a week. This will help the top of the bulbs to seal, which will prevent them from rotting for a longer period of time.
To cure onions, they need to be in a dry place with good air circulation. If no rain is expected in your area for at least a week, you can just leave them on the ground to cure. Turn them over at least once during the curing process to make sure that all sides of the onion are drying out. Some people also cure their onions by hanging them off of a fence or railing. You can also leave them out on a table, making sure to bring them inside if rain is expected. As the onions cure, the root end will begin to shrivel up and the tops of the bulbs will slowly dry out.

After the onions have cured, use shears and clip off the tops, leaving about an inch above the bulb. Try and get as much dirt off the onion without using water or damaging the outer dry skins. A dry, soft brush will work fine for removing the dirt. At this point, your onions can be stored for 3-4 months in a cool, dry place. A basement or root cellar work best. You can also store them in a spare refrigerator if you have one. Ideally, you want to keep the onions between 35 and 40 degrees F. They will last the longest in the temperature range. However, as long as the storage location stays below 55 degrees F, your onions are unlikely to rot. Check on the them every week or so for signs of rot or sprouts. If the bulb begins to sprout, cut off the green portion and use the onion in the next several days. If you find a soft spot in the bulb, the onion is beginning to rot. You can cut out the soft area and use the rest of the onion immediately. If the soft spot is too big, just throw the whole thing away.

Another option for storing onions is by freezing them. Remove the paper skins and chop them up, cutting the pieces to the size of your liking. Place the onions in an airtight freezer bag or container and place in the freezer. They will last for up to 6 months. If freezing is your preferred method of storage, you can start to do this immediately after harvesting onions. There's really no need to cure them as it doesn't matter if the outer skins have dried out.

Now that you're done harvesting onions, it's time for a few of our favorite recipes that feature onions.

Onion Varieties - What's the Difference?

There are lots of different onion varieties available to the backyard vegetable gardener. These varieties can be divided into four main categories - white onions, yellow onions, red onions and bunching onions, which have no bulb and are used exclusively as scallions. The varieties vary in sweetness levels, size and shape. Today, some seed companies offer "variety packs" with 3-4 different onions in one bundle or seed packet. This is a great way to try different onion varieties without spending a bunch of money. Here is a list of some common onion varieties, along with bulb descriptions, etc...