~ ONION SEED: NORMAL BULB ONIONS ~
Many people grow onions from seed as it is so much cheaper than from sets, and the range of varieties available is better.
Onions won't germinate in cold soil, and need quite a long time to make a bulb, so there are three times to sow onions from seed:
Easy Option 1 - Indoors Early Sowing
The usual and most reliable option is to sow indoors in trays very early in January or February, with some heat, so that they get going early enough to make nice big bulbs. They will grow on without heat (for example in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse) once germinated. Transplant out about 4"-6" apart once the soil warms up:
Sowing Information
Easy Option 2 - Outdoors Later SOWING
The other way is to sow seed outdoors directly, in this case you should wait until March or so when the soil has warmed up a bit. (Your onions will be smaller as they've had a shorter growing season.) Thin your rows in stages to about 4 - 6 inches; apart as they grow:
Sowing Information
Harder (but bigger onions) Option 3 - Overwinter Growing
The final option - more of a gamble, but can give really large onions. You can sow seed outdoors in mid August, with a cold-hardy variety that will survive the winter outdoors. If successful, this can give an early crop of very large onions the next summer. If you want to do this, use Paris Early White, Winteria, or Augusta, listed at the bottom of the page.
Sowing Information
The only key thing to know is that Onions HATE shading. If they get shaded by other plants like grass or weeds, they really won't make bulbs properly. It's easy - just keep them well weeded.
However you do it, just remember to start your onions in a tray or modules. Right, now that's explained, on to the Onions!
Red Amposta
Another widely adapted red onion , this time from Italy, which we have chosen for the sweetness of the bulbs, and the fact it keeps quite well. Sow it in Spring for Autumn harvest.The red bulbs are a decent size and a nice spherical shape.
Red sweet bulbs, One of the longest storing red onions, but use by midwinter.
350 seed £
Carmen - RED
This is a nice red onion , adapated to many different soil types and growing conditions, which we have chosen because it is very sweet.
The round bulbs are a dark red colour, with a good red colour inside as well, and they store quite a long time after harvest (for a red onion at least).
Red sweet bulbs, Sow in Spring for autumn harvest. Use by midwinter.
300 seed, organic. £
"Temprana Babosa" Valencia Early Yellow Onion - SWEET FLAVOUR
Spanish onions from Valencia have been popular for hundreds of years - we have chosen this one for its mild sweet flavour and pale yellow skin. It goes particularly soft and golden when fried - mmmm!
Sweet golden flesh, but not a very long-keeping type, so use soon after harvest.
300 seed £
"Globo" - EASY HUGE ONIONS!
A variety that we've chosen because it produces really large spherical onions, with a mild flavour, so its really good for salads as well as cooking. - look at the adult hand in the photo for scale!
It can easily reach a pound in weight; we grew loads of them to eat and they all got pretty big without much effort.
Sow this in Spring for autumn harvest; use at start of winter (not a storage onion)
300 seed £
Liria
This does really well for us here in Wales and makes really nice big onions. A traditional onion named after a town in Spain, where it has been grown for centuries. It has large round brown bulbs, that are sweet.
We've found it to be a really reliable variety, producing a good harvest that is ready a little earlier than the Yellow Rynsburger, but still stores pretty well.
Normally sown in Spring for harvest in Autumn, but you can also try sowing it after midsummer as an overwintering onion.
After the grower retired, we have taken over seed production ourselves; just a few packets available each year.
250 seed, organic. £
Density IV - LONG STORAGE
One of the best-keeping onions. Chosen for its excellent storage quality - the large, heavy & rounded bulbs with a golden skin keep really well overwinter on to spring in cool conditions.
Sow in spring for harvest in August/September, it will store overwinter.
Very, very good storage qualities.
400 seed £
~ Onions Chosen for Growing Overwinter ~
'Early Pompeii' Bulbing Spring Onion OVERWINTERING or EARLY SOWING
A good variety for overwintering, giving nice white baby onions in Spring when they are most appreciated. Not huge, but very cold hardy, and quite early.
Not a storage onion, this is one for eating fresh as and when you harvest it.
200 seed £
Sowing Information
Normally grown overwinter, but also you can sow in late spring and about 3 months later you'll get small white bulbing spring onions with a long green top, use the whole thing (bulb and greens) chopped in summer salads or cooking.
‘Winteria’ OVERWINTERING OR EARLY SOWING - NEW!
A new onion for overwintering, bred in the Czech Repulic, that is cold hardy and stores well.
approx 250 seed £
Sowing Information
For full-size onions: Sow it around Aug 18th in a closely-spaced row. At the start of October they will be a decent size and you just transplant them out to their final position spaced about 15cm apart. As soon as the weather improves in spring they'll be off and away, giving you early large yellow onions.
For green bunching onions: Sow in late spring, about 3 months later you'll get baby bunching onions, use the whole thing (bulb and greens) in salads or cooking.
~ It is easy to grow SHALLOTS from Seed, too (Sow in Spring) ~
Shallots are similar to normal onions, but with a slightly different ancestry - narrower and longer, with a different mix of flavour compounds - less strongly 'oniony', and therefore sweeter & milder to taste. They grow really well from seed, and these varieties make bigger bulbs than traditional shallots.
Firenze Long Red
A new one for you to try - large red shallots with a gentler flavour than normal onions.
An old heirloom from Florence in Italy, but grows well in the UK.
200 seed £
Zebrune Shallot - RARE, & REALLY GOOD
This has been a real winner these last few years, outperforming our other onions by a noticeable margin. And they have a really good flavour, too. If we had to chose just one onion to grow, this would be it.
This kind is popularised on TV cookery shows as a 'banana shallot' (because it is slightly curved). Excellent in salads or cooked. Unfortunately they do not make many seed, but we have still made up a packet that is pretty generous, while holding the price down as much as possible.
An easy, fine-flavoured, large, sweet & mild shallot. Sow in Spring, inside in heat if possible.
200 seed £
