Onions from seed.

[burnie]

Ailsa Craig onions potted on in to yoghurt pots, looking quite strong plantlets, I hope using cells and not disturbing the roots will let them catch up for lost time.

[burnie]

I prefer to pot on into pots to get a nice root ball, it's much too early up here for me to be planting out yet, slowly hardening off the plants and giving them plenty of light in the conservatory at the moment. Later they will go into the greenhouse inside a "blow away" plastic covered grow house a bit like this one until the risk of any severe winter weather has passed.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Plas...UAAOSws65eOy0j

[Plot12c]

Right so all my sown seeds have come up and coming along great probably about6 inches tall and all look healthy. I am new to the growing onion from seed so my question should I now prick out and replant in individual pots or should I plant straight out at my plot? Any advice greatly appreciated!

[Mr H]

Last year I grew silverskiin pickling onions from seed and they came up a treat, still eating them even now. I also grew some standard brown onions from sets, they did well too.

This year spurred on by success my plans are as follows:
Planted some autumn sets last year and whilst slow to start about 80% have pushed through now.
Need to find some nice red baron sets to plant in April
I have some red baron seed so will sow that with a view to harvesting them early and keep them for next year's sets
Also have some Marco seeds again the plan is to harvest them as sets for next year
I've got some Shallot Ambition seeds which I hope will grow to maturity this summer
Finally I have some Giant Zittau seeds to sow which will be this year's pickling onions.

Aiming for abundance this year.

[Can the Man]

These were raised from seed in the poly tunnel during November December and planted out in the outdoor raised bed about 2-3 weeks ago.

[Can the Man]

I must take some photos of my onions from seed in my outdoor raised bed tomorrow if it’s dry out

[burnie]

First signs of the later sowing of Ailsa Craig seeds, so we will hopefully have some Onions after all.

[Dynamo]

I grew onions from seeds many years ago. I tilled the soil and sowed the seeds straight into the ground there. The crop were really good and quite large if I remember rightly. Since then I mainly grow onions from sets and although they are pretty decent, I don't get large ones like I did that first time from seed, so this year I'm doing both. Also I picked up a tip on a YouTube video which suggested that if you want to grow larger onions it's a good idea to keep the leaves cut down to six to eight inches so they don't fall over so easily and stop the plant from growing. That way supposedly they grow for longer and because of that they grow bigger, so I'm going to try that method. If it's a success I'll post on the forum about it. 👍

[Plot12c]

First time growing from seed

First ever time growing from seed so looking forward to how it works out in comparison to sets I planted out last Autumn.

Growing Red Baron and Alisa Craig. All have germinated and now under grow lights.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Cheers AP

I'm intrigued by the scaffolding, also noticed it being used in McDoods picture. Will need to read back in the thread.

It's just some wire loops on a stalk and I use them just to keep the stems and necks nice and straight. It's not that important for the kitchen but I'm hopeful of getting some on the showbench and nice straight necks and good body shape is a necessity.

[burnie]

It seems my Red Mammoth Onion seed is no good this year, only bought it last year and they were very good. Just sowed some Ailsa Craig or I'll end up with nothing, good job the mag sent some free ones or I would be in a mess, now a month behind though.

[broadway]

Bear in mind that I'm practically up in the arctic circle compared to you guys so I may well be later in planting out. It's important with onions as with most plants to get them growing and keep them growing without a check so yes, try to make sure any risk of frost is past before planting out.

Cheers AP

I'm intrigued by the scaffolding, also noticed it being used in McDoods picture. Will need to read back in the thread.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Cheers Dood

If I sow them now when should I move them to the bed?

I wait until after last frost so for me that's End of April beginning of May. AP may be along soon with some expert advice

Bear in mind that I'm practically up in the arctic circle compared to you guys so I may well be later in planting out. It's important with onions as with most plants to get them growing and keep them growing without a check so yes, try to make sure any risk of frost is past before planting out.

[Aberdeenplotter]

a pic of the scaffolding I use for small onion seedlings in the three stages of constructionand originally shown in the early days of this thread but unfortunately deleted/lost in a digital calamity when there was no adequate back up in place. I've now changed the design to prevent the wee hoops revolving in the pots by making the stems half an inch longer and doubling that half inch back up the stem. Hope that makes sense.

[Aberdeenplotter]

seedlings pricked out but no scaffolding yet