Hi can anyone tell me the best time to sow the seeds for Toughball onion. I know they can be grown as either overwintering type or grown as normal. What i would like to know is which produces the better bulb autumn or spring sown?
Thanks
Not grown this variety, but normally sow my onion seed about March/April time, and get good sized bulbs by autumn. Its too cold to sow them direct now, if you would like to overwinter them I'd guess they would be sown in early autumn so they get established before the really cold weather sets in.
Hi, I'm new to this forum and only just spotted this thread. I've grown toughball for several years as an overwintering onion, as far as I know it is not recommended for spring sowing. The packet instructions state that they should be direct sown and thinned, ie, not transplanted, but being a mean sort of person where seed in concerned I transplanted them anyway. Out of hundreds planted I think I might have had two, maybe three go to seed over the years.
They produce a tennis ball sized bulb as hard as iron, with excellent flavour and will keep for ever if properly dried and stored. They are the only onion I grow now, (apart from shallots and tree onions for salads and pickling)
I'm only posting this because there is still time to raise seedlings for late Autumn/early Winter planting if you have a heated propgator or a warm windowsill. They only need to be three to four inches high for transplanting, don't feed them or cover them after transplanting, just water them in lightly. The trick is to transplant them late enough to avoid them growing a recognizable bulb before the onset of Winter, if they produce a bulb they will go to seed in Spring as sure as ... made little apples.