hi
OK i've never grown oniosn before so please excuse the question.
I planted several rows of onion sets back in November. I was just wondering how they grow? will the tiny onion i planted just grow into 1 large onion , or like garlic, will it produce several bulbs from each set planted. Until a couple of days ago i didn't even realise that onions grew above the ground :P
AND
If you sow onion seed I guess they will grow just one onion.
Pakaba
As you've already guessed, each onion set will grow into a larger onion. Shallots will prduce maybe 6 or so some each set planted but not onions.
one onion from one set. good luck
thanks.....
.......But onion sets aren't that cheap, are they really worth the expense? Onions are pretty cheap to buy, so ecomomically are they worth it? I just bought 2kg for £2 from the place i get the organic veggie box delivered from and their are LOADS.
Whats the difference between sets and seed? apart from seed being loads cheaper.
a very confused ???
Pakaba
If the year's a poor one and everything's pickled onion size, then no, it's not worth it.
If you get a good year, then 99p for 75 sets (typical garden centre cost) will get you rather cheaper onions than the bought ones. Assuming about 3 to a lb, that would be 25lb and I'll bet you can't buy 25lb for 99p!
Course it is usually in between, but even so, 6 small ones to a lb will still only cost you 99p for ~13lb and that's still cheap.
I've currently got 175 in modules for £1.90. Even with the compost cost, it's not bad!
Seeds are cranky to get going, but once growing, you can theoretically get bigger onions from seed than from sets. Just less reliable :)
moonbells
... and you can eat the seed thinnings as Spring Onions. Bonus! ;D ;D ;D
Thanks Moonbells,
if i remember correctly my onion sets were £1.99 atleast, and i don't think there were 75 in the pack. I didn't shop around, I just got very excited when i saw them, because i could finally plant something on the plot, as we got it too late last year to plant much. That would explain why i thought they were expensive.
Next year i will shop around a bit.
Cheers :D
pakaba
If you're short of space, grow something that costs more to buy. If you've got plenty of space, then you can afford to use it to produce genuine organic onions. Buying them in a pack is more expensive; I get them by the kilo at the local market.
I grow some onions because a) heck, it's a satisfying hobby, b) they make good companions for carrots and c) they will be fresh and pesticide-free. But I don't try to grow all I need for the year. Around the Fens onions are on sale at £2 for per large sack, so I supplement home grown with bought 'out of season' and use precious allotment space for more expensive veg. or those (like asparagus, spinach and sweetcorn) that you run back to the kitchen with ;D
My sets come from the local market, current prices are about £2.25/kg. Now I reckon from last year's crop, I had almost a years supply, say 600 onions off 4 kg - £9 in money terms. I say a years supply, because they are beginning to run out now, going soft etc. I reckon we will have onions through until the end of march, bearing in mind we eat LOADS of onions. There is no doubt in my mind that onions are an economic vegetable for me to grow, and they will always be a major part of my planting plan.
I got 2 Kg each of overwintering and traditional onions; if I get too many, I just give them away down at my church.
i got three 250g packs from d t brown for 5.95 and my oh bought 100 giant onions sets from b and q for 1.99 we eat onion with almost every meal or on chesee butties the list is endless for us because this is my first time on an alottment im doing loads of onions and some of the other veg we eat and ill see how we go and next year i can get anither plot (if needed ) one just for onions and one for veg (oh idea ) i sown onion seeds and iv just put them on the compost bin because they have died oh well i can try again next year with the seeds
loulou..There's a couple of months at least left to grow onions from seeds ..You don't have to wait till next year :) Prob April sowings are better for table onions any way..Cheers ..Jim ...
thanks for that the pack i had said jan-march sowing so i thought id wait till next year but i will now get more seeds oh will love me ;D and try and find a place to grow them in my every filling greenhouse(my livingroom bathroom and my bedroom ) once again thanks from loulou
Hi Pakaba,
We grew a lot of onions and shallots last year and are still eating them, we will grow more this year as they have been so good. I agree with the others that they are worth growing from a financial point of view.
I planted some over-wintering onions from Kings for the 1st time in November, to try and get an earlier crop...these seemed to be more expensive. Senshyu was the variety, I think.
just spent the last 1 1/2 hours pricking out sown red barrons...lol
quite relaxing really....honest
trimming the root if too long, snipping the seed away if still attached.
only thing I can do on a day like today
My onions are only just starting to germinate... well I can see a few white threads with what looks like the seed on top. Does this seed have to be chopped off the top.
no leave this on, it will drop later. it is a food store for the seedling till the roots get going.
I was wondering why my onions I planted last october still aren't showing above the soil!!! unlike the garlic which was planted at the same time is now a good 8 inches above the ground, I was wondering if Id lost the onions? :'(
No sign of growth yet is not a good sign Giraffe, perhaps lift a few and look at the roots? You should have well developed roots, even if the cold has prevented much top growth.
Still have a few strings of onions hanging in the shed though these are a bit soft now and we may throw away every other one.
As for cost I get about 90 white for £0.75 and 130 red for £1.10 from our pet shop! (or I did when I was sad enough to count them)
White onions may be cheap to buy but red onions are not and may be more profitable.
However the main reason I grow onions is they look good and are very satisfying!