[Salmo]

If you are on easy working soil sowing directly into the ground produces good onions for the kitchen. These store really well and seldom bolt. If you want big show onions, or are on heavy land, then start them off inside and plant out.

Onions need a long growing season. Somewhere around the end of May the day length triggers a change from growing root and shoot to bulbing up. Whatever stage the onions are at this will happen. Consequently if they are small they will only produce small onions.

Sow as soon as the soil and weather will allow. Onion seeds will sit in the soil and very seldom rot. Cover helps to dry the surface and warms the soil. Any time after mid-February. If they are not sown by the end of March you can usually only expect to get picklers and sets are better.

Thinnings can be used for spring onions.

Onion fly can attack seedlings. Also bean seed fly.

[peterjf]

hi there , we grow our onions from seed every year , bedfordshire champions , aisia craig , red barrons ,

from sets we grow charlotts, this time of year is great for setting them off in a cold greenhouse ,

[lenht]

Seeds are through but at what stage do I transplant. At the moment there is a single delicate stem which is bending over. Are they alright ?

[Yorkie]

I think it's normal for them to be bent like a hairpin to start with - certainly it's true for leeks, which are the same family

[azubah]

It is easier to transplant onions when they are tiny loops, if you have nimble fingers and do not pinch them, as the roots are also tiny.
I transplant them to a seed tray..about 40 to a tray and leave them to get 3 or 4 leaves and then transplant them to the allotment after hardening them off.
I grow kelsae most years or robinsons giant sometimes.
I grow them for eating rather than show so I don't grow them huge.