How to Plant, Grow & Harvest Onions
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How to plant, grow, fertilize, harvest, and store onions. Watch our featured video too! Onions are an easy to grow cold-season crop (grows at 15 degrees colder temps than warm season crops), can be planted with little worry of frost damage, and grow best on raised beds. You can plant onion sets (easiest to grow), onion seeds or grow onions from the root ends of onions you already have.
Where to Plant Your Onions
Choose an area to plant your onions which gets full sun during the day. Make sure that other plants you are growing will not overshadow your onion plants.
kind of Soil Which is Best for Onions
Soil should be loose and crumbly and mixed with a compost which is high in nitrogen such as aged manure or chicken feces (Compost should be added to your soil in the Fall). You can til in nitrogen fertilizer before planting your onions and side dress the rows every couple weeks during the growing process.
How to Plant Onions-Step by Step
Use fresh seeds or onion sets each year
Start seeds indoors about six weeks before transplanting outdoors
Plant as soon as the ground can be worked in the Spring after temps are above 20 degrees F.
Plant 1 inch deep, if planting bulb sets only 1/3 of the bulb should be underground.
Spacing between plants should be 4 to 5 inches
Rows of onions should be 12 to 18 inches apart
Start seeds indoors about six weeks before transplanting outdoors
Plant as soon as the ground can be worked in the Spring after temps are above 20 degrees F.
Plant 1 inch deep, if planting bulb sets only 1/3 of the bulb should be underground.
Spacing between plants should be 4 to 5 inches
Rows of onions should be 12 to 18 inches apart
How to Fertilize Your Onion Plants
If you want large onion bulbs you will need to use nitrogen fertilizer every few weeks (Composted chicken manure works great).
Stop using fertilizer after the onions start to bulb and push the soil aside. Allow the onions to bulb and rise above the soil.
Stop using fertilizer after the onions start to bulb and push the soil aside. Allow the onions to bulb and rise above the soil.
How to Water Onion Plants
Give your onion plants approx. 1 inch of water per week (If you use mulch you do not need to water as much). If you like your onions sweet you can water them more. Make sure soil is well drained with no standing water.
How to tell when onion plants are ready to harvest
When your onion plants grow flower stalks on the end they have "bolted" are almost ready to pull. If the tops turn yellow and bow over, you can step on them or bend them over to help them ripen faster. When the top turns brown it is time to pull your onions. You should loosen the soil to make them dry faster. Wait a few days and turn the onions up and allow them to cure on dry ground.
Be careful when handling the new onions as they can bruise easily which will cause them to rot. The best time to harvest onion plants is in late summer before cool weather sets in. If left after they will usually spoil during the Fall.
Be careful when handling the new onions as they can bruise easily which will cause them to rot. The best time to harvest onion plants is in late summer before cool weather sets in. If left after they will usually spoil during the Fall.
How to Prevent Pests & Diseases in Onion Plants
Thrips are very small insects that can kill your onion plants. If you want to find out if your onion plants have thrips you will need to take a dark piece of paper and knock the onion tops against it. If you see tiny insects about as thick as a sewing needle on the paper you will need to do a few treatments with insecticidal soap to kill them (Follow the directions on the package). Spray plants two times-three days apart and you shouldn't have any more problems with thrips.
Onion maggots can damage and kill onion plants. These maggots most often strike during rainy periods or from over watering. They lay eggs at the base of the plant. Keep your mulch away from the base of the plant as this will attract them. You can prevent this by covering the bulbing onions with a fine mesh netting and seal it in the soil by piling a mound of soil on it around the edges.
Onion maggots can damage and kill onion plants. These maggots most often strike during rainy periods or from over watering. They lay eggs at the base of the plant. Keep your mulch away from the base of the plant as this will attract them. You can prevent this by covering the bulbing onions with a fine mesh netting and seal it in the soil by piling a mound of soil on it around the edges.
How to Properly Store Onions
Your onions will need to be placed on a screen, on wood pallets, somewhere off the ground to dry for a couple weeks before they will be ready to store in a storage area or root cellar. Store onions in braids or with the stems broken off. Storage temps should be between 40-50 degrees F (4 to 10 degrees C). Do not store with apples or potatoes (Old Farmers Almanac, 1).
Featured Video: How to Plant, Grow, & Harvest Onions from Start to Finish
How to Plant More Kinds of Vegetables
Find out how to plant various vegetables here: Go to How to Plant Vegetables
Onion Weather Quote:
Onion’s skin very thin, Mild winter coming in; Onion’s skin thick and tough, Coming winter cold and rough.--Author Unknown
How to Preserve Fruits & Vegetables
Find out how to preserve various types of fruits & vegetables. Go to How to Preserve Fruits & Vegetables
See More Lawn & Garden Tips
Great tips to help you grow a beautiful lawn and help you grow a delicious garden. Go to Garden Tips
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Health & Nutrition Tips/Health & Beauty/Budget Tips/Car Tips/Cleaning Tips/Exercise Tips/Energy Savings/Fossil Fuels/Lawn & Garden Tips/Healthy Hair Tips/Free Printable Lists/Old Fashioned Recipe's/Skin Care Tips/How to Grow Vegetables/How to Can Fruits & Vegetables/Vegan Tips/Anti Aging Tips/How to Get Rid of Home & Garden Pests/Eating Plants & Herbs for Good Health/Safety Tips/Weatherizing Tips/Home Repair Tips/Spring Cleaning Tips/Fall Cleaning Tips/Yard Sale Tips
Contact Us: [email protected]
This website created by Rev.Penny Dean
References:
1. Onions: Planting, growing and harvesting onion plants. Retrieved on March 19, 2017 from The Old Farmers Almanac. http://www.almanac.com/plant/onions
2. Video: Brandon & Meridith (Jan. 26, 2014). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R0kzCwGNtw
1. Onions: Planting, growing and harvesting onion plants. Retrieved on March 19, 2017 from The Old Farmers Almanac. http://www.almanac.com/plant/onions
2. Video: Brandon & Meridith (Jan. 26, 2014). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R0kzCwGNtw