[upthetump]

hi all, had a pack of above mentioned seed free in my gardening magazine this month, anyone ever grown this type of onion from seed? there are 350 in the packet, so if i get this right i wont need to buy my usual sets in the spring. all input welcome

[Trillium]

I've grown them before and they're dead easy. I even direct seeded them outside but they didn't grow too large as they need longer time to size up so recommend you start them inside around Jan/Feb. Some folk start them in Dec but I find it too much trouble with the big season approaching.

[Dom2599]

Grown them the past 2 years and had a good crop each time

[shokkyy]

Ditto that. Grown them the last two years and they've given me a good crop both times, trouble free.

[gavinjconway]

Hi Guys (dom + shok) when do you sow them.. I have always done sets but have been given these seeds and others so will do seeds this year instead.

[upthetump]

thanks guys. last year i planted Sturon sets and had about 5% bolted and about another 5% rotted in store as i didn't get them inside quick enough after all that rain. what percentage losses did you suffer with growing from seed?

[sunshineband]

I grew onions from seed for the first time last year, and sowed three or four seeds per module, mid January

They were planted out around the end of April as a clump, and grew to be bulbs of between two and five inches in diameter, pushing each other apart as they grew. Each clump was eight inches apart in each direction

Would not give you show sized onions of course, but it did the job for me 

[upthetump]

thanks for that, i'm def not looking for showbench quality, but enough for my soups, stews and casseroles. my oh reckons the magazines are a waste of time but i reckon £3.99 for a mag and 350 onions is good business 

[shoozie]

First time from seed this year - two sowings -  at the end of January (Ailsa Craig) and mid Feb (Bedfordshire C).  Pinch of around 5 seeds per module.  Planted out both singly or in clumps.  

The ones planted out singly were potted up individually after the crook stage and I trimmed the seed root (as per Medwyn W) - a bit of a fiddle but, hey, the nights were still dark so it passed the time!

One thing I'll say is - they didn't bolt, unlike most of the sets this year.  Really pleased - no losses

[shokkyy]

I sowed in Feb, 2 seeds per module. One year I used the 40 module per tray size, and the other year I used 60 module. Both worked fine.

The seedlings do seem to sit and do nothing for quite a long time, but then all of a sudden they put on a growth spurt and turn into luvly onions. This year's didn't get quite as big as last year's, but I suspect that was down to the horrible weather. Next year I'm going to try sowing a bit earlier, in Jan, to see if that makes any difference to size.

[shoozie]

I forgot to say I used DD's tinfoil tip for the onions and other early sowings - light levels are very poor on our windowsills at that time of year and this worked a treat 

[Dom2599]

Hi Guys (dom + shok) when do you sow them.. I have always done sets but have been given these seeds and others so will do seeds this year instead.

Around January if i remember right

[gavinjconway]