[New shoot]

Lots of people joining in and lots of new growers, which is great 

Are people interested in a sticky topic for an onion from seed growing club?  We have a fair bit of watching whispy chive like seedlings to get through, so we could help each other keep the faith    Plus hopefully celebrate harvest together with some nice piccies 

[Flowertot]

Oh yes, a sticky would be great  . I know I will need support!

[gavinjconway]

Yeah  - great idea NS

[New shoot]

I've set the sticky topic up ready for use as people will be sowing soon     

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=111632.0

[Kirpi]

Do you sow into a tray and prick out as they come up or sow in individual modules?

[New shoot]

I sow in trays and then prick them out, as I have limited space inside to germinate them, but sowing direct into modules is fine if you have the room.

Some people sow a few seeds in each module and plant them out as a bunch to get more, but smaller onions, but if you want big onions, they need their own space 

[Kirpi]

Thank you New shoot.

[julietmaria]

Hi, I think I will give growing from seed a go now as I have four seed packets that I have picked up along the way.!  I am a bit confused however as  the packets of onions all say to sow the seeds loads later than now.   Should I just ignore the packets and sow now - see below

Senshyu Yellow Onion - says sow Aug to mid Sept?
Suttons sweet spanish yellow onion (not sure of name as cut the top of the packet off!) says sow late feb/Mar
Roja de niort - says sow Feb/March
Ciboule (Welsh Onion) Red Skinned - sow seeds March

To be honest I would prefer to sow now rather than later.   
many thanks
Julietmaria

[mumofstig]

Senshyu Yellow Onion - says sow Aug to mid Sept?

That's because it is an onion that grows through winter, so needs to be sown in the Autumn - too late to sow them now.
The Welsh onions don't bulb-up...they're like spring onions but perennial. I don't think you'd gain anything from an early sowing.
You can sow the others now as long as you have somewhere warm, but not hot, to grow them on until planting time.

[LilacSandy]

My you lot are quick off the mark, only started sowing mine today 

Globo 220, 100 Vision & 150 Santero.  Think I will wait till they are up and running and sow the Bedfordshire Champion and Sweet Spanish Yellow mid Feb.

May look a lot of onions but the packets are coming to the end of their shelf life so thought I may as well sow them all and then if only 25% germinate I will still have a good load, if none germinate I will still have time to buy some new seeds or worst comes to the worst I can buy sets.  Put in about 300 last year from sets and seeds and still ran out by Christmas.   Two families to feed now, and I use at least one onion a day. If my daughter does the same I will need over 700 to keep us going over the year. 

[adri123]

Trouble is onions are dead dead cheap so is it really worth dedicating alot of space to them?

I used to do loads and make strings etc but now a trip to an asian shop buys enough for several months for a pound or two.

There's nothing better than home grown though.

[DD.]

Last sentence answers the question in the first.

[gavinjconway]

Trouble is onions are dead dead cheap so is it really worth dedicating alot of space to them?

I used to do loads and make strings etc but now a trip to an asian shop buys enough for several months for a pound or two.

There's nothing better than home grown though.

Yep Adri - you answered yourself there... GYO onions they taste like onions should... not like watery hydroponically grown rubbish..

p.s. Thanks for your advice on my grow box. 

[adri123]

Just sowed a load of red baron cos the missus likes reds for cooking...

I'm in!!!

[DD.]

May we remind people that we set up a sticky topic specifically to follow the fortunes of onion seeds this year.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=111632.0

We are going to lock this thread and ask that if you haven't posted already in there, you repost about your seed sowing in there. It would be too confusing to merge the two threads.

Thanks.