Grow Your Own Onions

The humble onion is thought to be amongst our oldest yet most diverse vegetables, outranking tomatoes and potatoes as one of the most versatile vegetables in the kitchen, the onion or Allium Cepa is both easy to grow and store which perhaps explains its popularity amongst home gardeners. High in Vitamins B and C, not to mention essential dietary fibre, onions are an essential part of most international cuisine and diets.

The health benefits as mentioned above can also be taken as a sign as to why this vegetable has remained on the wish list of home, commercial and exhibitionist gardeners across the globe. Onions naturally contain the powerful compounds Querticetin and Chromium, two powerful and necessary antioxidants, with Querticetin in particular being recognised as a powerful aid in fighting conditions such as common colds and prostate and breast cancer.

There are many different varieties and types of onion and the introduction of Japanese onions to UK soils in recent years has meant that gardeners can now both grow and have in store a selection of the finest home grown onions all year round. Some of the most common and recognisable members of the onion family include;

• Brown Onions (Common Onion/Cooking Onion) - this type of onion is very familiar and is perhaps the most versatile and well recognised member of the onion family. The Bedfordshire Champion is a very popular example.
• Shallots - have smaller bulbs and a milder flavour than the common brown cooking onion and can be grown from a variety of seeds. Modern garden centres will provide shallots as part of mixed onions sets. Harvested in between July and August some of the most popular Shallot varieties include the Dutch Yellow and .
• Pickling Onions - small brown silverskin bulbs used for pickling due to low water content and strong flavour. Sown in or around April time with popular varieties including Paris Silver Skin and Barletta.
• Salad Onions - onion varieties that are typically white skinned and milder in flavour than other onions. Thinned or lifted during immaturity one of the most popular salad onions is the White Lisbon renowned for its quick growth.
• Red Onions - recognised for their high antioxidant levels red onions are now widely used raw in salads and have grown in popularity in recent years. One of the most common varieties of red onion is the Red Baron onion.

Highly adaptable to growth in both large and small or confined spaces, onions also do well in raised beds providing all other conditions are just right. Typically onions prefer to be positioned in a sunny position and all onions whether grown from seed or set require high quality light soil and free drainage.

Whilst onions may still do well in firmer soils providing it is prepared correctly, soils that are too heavy may prevent the bulb from reaching full development. When, where and how to plant your onion sets or seeds will depend entirely on the type of onion you wish to grow but typically main crop onion seeds and sets would be sown around March.

Like many other home grown vegetables onions are susceptible to some common plant and garden disorders so preventative measures should be taken when growing them. Common problems with onions stem from attack by onion fly, neck rot, white rot and stem and bulb eelworm. Experts would also argue that onions grown from seed are far more likely to come under attack from onion fly so onion sets are highly recommended to first time onion growers.

Growing Onions from Sets

Onion sets are essentially immature bulbs that are sold in garden centres across the UK especially for planting. Onion sets have become popular over the years as they are actually much easier for home gardeners to grow and are not as susceptible to attacks from onion fly and they do not require as much skill and fertile soil to grow as when you are growing onions from seed. This is not to say that they are not without their disadvantages as they can be more expensive than onions seeds and they are more likely to 'run to seed' or 'bolt'.

Unlike growing from seed, onion sets do not need to be grown in the highly fertile soil demanded by onion seeds. The basic requirements for growing onion sets require that some preparation is done in advance of planting including adding compost or manure to the soil, adding lime where acidity is high and adding fertiliser to the soli just prior to planting. Typically onion sets should be planted around March or April, with variants such as Shallots being planted at the slightly earlier time of February.

During growth onion sets require minimal maintenance other than protection from nuisance birds and other garden pests which can be prevented using protective netting available from most garden centres. Once your onion sets have become fully established they can be treated in much the same way as onions grown from seed and should be harvested in much the same way.

Growing Onions from Seed

Growing onions from seed is considered to be slightly more strenuous than when growing from sets but for more experienced gardeners should not be too difficult. Having prepared your soil or beds you need to ensure that you sow the seeds in rows which should ideally be 9-10 inches apart. When sowing each row, leave an inch of space between each seed.

Again these figures will vary according to the type of onion seed you are using, for example, salad onions will require less space between rows with approximately 4 inches between rows being ample. Typically all onion seeds should be sown very thinly and kept in moist soil.

During the growth process be careful to remove any weeds by hand and feed occasionally, mulching is also a great way to cut back on watering the bulbs whilst discouraging weed growth. Once the bulbs have swollen be careful to pull back any mulch or excess earth to allow the sun to reach the bulb.

Salad onions will typically be ready to harvest much earlier than other onion crops and should be pulled when the bulbs are roughly between ½ and 1 inch across and usually takes place between March and October. Mature onion and shallot bulbs are easily identifiable as their leaves will turn a yellow colour, once at this stage the onions can be carefully removed.

Most onions will require time to dry out before use or storing and can be left to do so in either in sacking or trays (available from garden centres). Storage can be net bags, trays, nylon tights or an onion rope providing they are in a cool and well-lit place where they will sit until used.

And finally...enjoy!

Onions then are not only one of the most diverse and widely used vegetables but they are also easy to grow and care for. Suitable for growth in both large and small gardens and available in both sets and from seed growing your own onions has never been easier!