Anyone that likes to cook already knows how important onions are for great, flavorful food. But growing onions is easy, and there are so many kinds you can plant in your garden this spring.
Onions break down into three colors, white, yellow and red. Within these three colors there are a wide variety of shapes and sized, and they all need to be treated a little differently. Some don’t mind the northern latitudes, while others are more comfortable closer to the equator.
When you start to plan your onion patch, you will have to figure out the types that are most at home in your climate, and then decide how you are going to plant them. All three methods have pluses and minuses, and all will produce great onions if you care for your plants.
Seeds
Growing onions from seeds is the most work, but it also allows you the greatest choice when it comes to selecting the type of onion that you want to grow. You have to start early in the season, and if you live in a northern latitude, this is probably going to be inside.
Your crop will take about 4 months to complete, and you will have to transplant them at least once. The major downside is the time, work and the risk of disease, and the upside is that you can grow whatever kind of onion you want.
Sets
Sets are bulbs that are not fully mature, and were grown the year before. They are usually sold by a local nursery, and are by far your easiest choice for producing onions. They will mature rapidly, and are resilient to disease.
The downside is that your choice for varieties is going to be pretty limited, so if you want exotic onions, sets are not for you.
Transplants
Transplants are an onion plant that was started in the current growing season, and can be bought through the mail or in local nurseries. They offer you more choices than sets, but not as many as seed. In addition they can be susceptible to disease, so take care of you little transplants.
Simple Instructions
Every type of onion is going to be a little different, and so is every garden. In general onions like to be warm and well watered, but not soggy. Make sure that you have good drainage in your garden, and that your onions are getting plenty of sun. The day length plays a big role in how an onion grows, so make sure to ask about it when you buy your seeds or sets.
Onions like to have plenty of space to grow, so make sure that the garden is well weeded. However, when weeding, don’t pull the other plants out of the ground, use a sharp hoe to cut them down. The onion roots are fragile, and pulling weeds may disturb them.
Egg Carton Starter
When you go to start your garden this spring, go green and reuse some old paper egg cartons.
Start saving them around Christmas time, and when Spring is here, you will have all of the planters you will need.
All you have to do is fill them up with dirt, and then put the seeds in.
Make a little hole with your finger, put the seeds in the hole and then just sprinkle some dirt on top.
Finish up by watering the seeds, and then just keep an eye on your emerging sprouts.
Every kind of plant will grow at its own rate, so just keep an eye on your plant babies. When they are ready and well established, just transplant them to their summer spot. This is a good way to get a head-start on the season, and be ready when the good weather hits.
