[Michael D]

Hi  all

Happy  new year  to all,    has anyone  started  to  sow onion  seed yet.  I did read a mag boxing day  was the time to sow,   is this true   or an old  wifes tale.   Michael

[The Norfolk Turkey]

I was just thinking of onion seeds this morning! Now the snows gone, Ill have a rummage and try to get some sown before Im back to work (  ) Ive heard of Boxing day sowing though (does that count as saturday and today?!). Think Ive got Bedford Champion lurking in the utility somewhere........

[mumofstig]

IMO the very early sowings are for very large onions for showing.
Towards the end of jan/beg of feb is early enough ordinarily........what does your seed packet say!!..........That is always a good place to look for info re sowing

[trogg]

Just about to sow my Ailsa Craig onion seeds in some paper pots.

They'll be kept in a heated conservatory so should be ok , well till the Mrs sees them anyway.

Not sure sure when I'll be planting them out into the allotment, or perhaps I could grow them in an unheated greenhouse.

[alfman]

 I always sow my onions end of jan, beginning of feb in 3" pots, then I don't need to pot them on later. I keep them indoors 'till after the loop stage then into the greenhouse to reduce temperature. I give them a bit of heat if the weather becomes extreme.
 Here's 2 related questions:-
                                    1: Do you sow your red onion seed at the same time?
                                    2: Because they are in pots/trays for quite a long time, do you give them a weak feed before you put them out in their summer beds?
                                                                                                      Thanks.

[DavidT]

The traditional day for sowing onions is indeed Boxing Day, and if I grew them from seed that is when I would do it. Alfman, I don`t see why reds can`t be sown at the same time. There should be enough nutrient in the compost to keep the plants going until planting out, but if they look a bit distressed, then certainly, give them a feed.

[chriscross1966]

I start my big single onions off in small modules then when I pot them on they go into MC compost with an extra bit of BFB in them, into the ground in late March/earlyApril, earlier if the weather seems OK. Bulk mainscrops start in rather bigger cells (24/tray, 3-4 seeds per module) and go straight into the ground from them in March.

I sow reds at the same time as the mains, the picklers (white and red) go in next with the hardy veg.... All the onions and most of the hardy veg want to be out of the propagators by the end of Feb so that the the hard to crack stuff like parsnips and the tender stuff can get going peppers and a few toms first, hopefully some chillis and peppers have already gone through..... spring onions are a good idea to get going in a few modules at any time, you can also use the gutter technique (like peas) to get half a row going before you can really sow seeds outdoors....  can get you scallions (if you like cooking with green onions) during the hungry gap....

chrisc