T wrote:
Hi All,

I can't get onion seeds to sprout for my life.

I plant them about 1/4 deep, about 3" away from
each other, and water them. Zip. Nothing.

Is there any trick to onions seeds?

i've always just hoed and raked the soil well
enough to make sure it is fine and then use a
hoe to run about a 1 inch deep trench then i
put my onion seeds on the bottom of that in a
very thin line. cover with the fine soil and
then use a four prong rake to cross hatch the
area so it spreads the seeds out more than they
would be otherwise. this changes the depth of
many of them and makes it so i don't have to
thin as much. water well and keep moist, but
not sodden.

it may take a week or two before they sprout.

too shallow and they may dry out too much.
an inch to half an inch depth is fine.

you should be planting them early as the soil
can be worked if you are putting them in the
garden directly.

the most economical method is to start them
late winter inside because then you can determine
how many succeeded or not and then plant them
out when the ground thaws.


songbird