Onions. Worth it ?

[Kirk]

What are people experience of growing onions?

For the last 3 years (all I can recall with certainty) they have really come to nothing.
This years crop managed a small ping-pong ball size, last years was smaller, and I can recall pulling onions that amounted to thin feeble spring onions size - literally spring onions were substantially bigger. I think in the past 5-7 years only one year was the crop of any real use.

So that is 3 or 4 years that have proven pointless.

Reason I ask is simply that I have tried several varieties, in case the variety were not right, and for cooking with this morning I have just bought some at the supermarket for 41p a lb. Have not managed to get a useable onion in years from the garden.

Sowed some overwintering seed recently, they came up fine, and for the last 2 weeks have done nothing, no more apparent growth at all since then. This occurred a previous year, overwintering onions planted, senshyu sets, some growth, and after the winter not a survivor in sight.

Before ideas like the ground is wrong the leeks, related, are growing fine, although garlics are questionable. No sign of any disease on anything.

[alldigging]

Not this year. Last year was ok.

[zazen999]

If you don't think so, then don't grow them. Simples.

[Nicos]

We have found that they take too much weeding/need watering/rot etc ... so now we only grow a few red ones and buy the yellow ones from the shops.

[veggiechicken]

I've never grown a decent sized onion in my life - but every year I buy sets - because they're there in the shop tempting me I've tried seeds too with the same result.
Frankly, I don't think I do enough for them while they're growing - just plonk them in and leave them to it. No feed, no water, no tlc - no wonder I don't deserve decent onions........ but I'll still end up buying more this year

[zazen999]

I've never grown a decent sized onion in my life - but every year I buy sets - because they're there in the shop tempting me I've tried seeds too with the same result.
Frankly, I don't think I do enough for them while they're growing - just plonk them in and leave them to it. No feed, no water, no tlc - no wonder I don't deserve decent onions........ but I'll still end up buying more this year

The trick with overwintering onions...

In the spring, give them a weed, loosen the soil around them, give them a feed and water. They soak up all the spring rain and that's when they swell.

[veggiechicken]

I'll do my best to remember that, Zaz........Thanks

[Glutton4...]

I've only grown Onions twice, and have had fabulous crops both times. Once on 'tired' soil in a sheltered area and once on very rich 'lasagne' type beds, in an open location. The only constant was water - both times my crops had plenty of water - and I mean plenty!

Try again!

[jacob]

I've got very mixed results from onions. They seem pretty greedy things wanting good soil, some moisture and a lot of sun. Typically I get a handful of big ones, quite a few smallish ones that do the trick for cooking etc and a load of tiddlers which are useful for salads etc.

I'm not convinced there's much of a big win taste-wise over the supermarket, but I like the challenge of trying to get them to grow, and I do like completest meals where everything is healthy homegrown organic.

(My overwintered sets didn't start to swell at all this year until June, they then flopped right on cue at midsummer.)

[Bill HH]

Gardening is a process of deciding what does well in your garden, and what you use most of. I have for instance decided not to grow courgettes anymore, We dont use them and mine always get mildew. Better use the space for something that is usefull. It would be a shame if you cant grow onions though as they are an important staple food. I long ago put aside any thoughts of making or even saving money by growing veg, particularly on my small sized plot. The sum total of my produce this year will be about 10% of what i spent (That does include a greenhouse and new raised beds however). The work I put into potatoes for instance and yet you can buy a whole 25kg bag for �6. So that is not why I do it, it's the satisfaction of harvesting something against all the odds, weather, pests,disease etc and sitting down to that home produced meal. That is worth more than money can buy. I say keep trying with the onions.

[Farmer_Gyles]

I always grow onions, both summer and winter - I always get mixed results - some big, some small, but most are medium - if they were all big, we'd have enough for the year, so we have to buy some anyway

I grow onions from sets - I normally plant the sets in 2" pots in the greenhouse - a few weeks later, I prepare the ground and plant out - they'll be way ahead of the weeds

Onions seem to need a fair bit of space to really swell up - don't plant them too close together!

I want to grow one of these:
How to crop a whopper - Coventry Telegraph - Growing Coventry

[JoeDaStudd]

Never managed to get full sized spring onions as we eat them at pencil thickness.
As for real onions I've not tried them for a long while, but they always used to do ok. Never the massive tennis ball ones you see in the shops, but big enough to warrant them.

I've really got my eye on potato onions, but I need to find some space for them.

[Bigmallly]

I have mixed results but old kid on next plot grows "Turbo" every year & they are hoooge.

[Greenfingerpaula]

Onions. Worth it ?

I've got Shensyu onion seeds in the GH at the moment, sprouting nicely - they are in cells - how long do I keep them in there, all autumn and winter? I won't be planting in garden, but in pots

Advice welcome

[vikkib]

I've never tried onions but this year I tried shallots from seed for the first time and they were great!

I sowed the seed early in the year and planted them out end of May into a bed where I'd stuck a couple of sacks of manure and they bulbed up beautifully in the three months they were in the ground.

I planted through weed suppressant to avoid all the weeding as I understand they don't like competition.

My argument against onions was that they are so cheap to buy that there wasn't much point growing them as I've only got half a plot so I'd rather use the space for something else but as we've just substituted the shallots in a lot of dishes where we would have used onions I think I've defeated myself on that one!

I will definitely be growing them again next year!