Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either let then
grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next year. How do you
get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and over. They don't
seed do they?

None4U wrote:
Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You
either let then grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets
for next year. How do you get onions to reproduce. Without buying
them over and over. They don't seed do they?

Yes they do. Seed is a good way to grow your own onions. You should choose
a cultivar that suits your latitude.

David

None4U wrote:
Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either let then
grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next year. How do you
get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and over. They don't
seed do they?


The onion sets are a convenience item, much like buying bedding plants.

I think a problem with growing from seeds is differentiating the young
onion plants from weeds, setting out a set eases the weeding, or at
least the attempt at it.

Also, since onions are biennial, if you didn't plant last year you
will have no big onions this year.

At least that's what I read when I put in my onions. I have no
experience with them (or much else for that matter!). I have this
feeling that there is a lot to growing onions. This from our "friends"
at Garden Web:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...061413183.html

Jeff

On Mon, 3 May 2010 00:33:18 -0400, "None4U"
wrote:

Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either let then
grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next year. How do you
get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and over. They don't
seed do they?


I grew up planting onions with sets. Once I started with seed I never
went back. Onions from seed are bigger and better with more variety
available. In Ohio anyway, prepare the soil in the fall for spring
planting. I planted around the first of March this year though
sometimes go as late as April, earlier is better. My soil is heavy and
so I cover the seed with compost. Planting mix or sand work too.

"Jeff Thies" wrote in message
...
None4U wrote:
Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm
not understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either
let then grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next
year. How do you get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and
over. They don't seed do they?
The onion sets are a convenience item, much like buying bedding plants.

I think a problem with growing from seeds is differentiating the young
onion plants from weeds, setting out a set eases the weeding, or at least
the attempt at it.

Also, since onions are biennial, if you didn't plant last year you will
have no big onions this year.


Please elaborate. Do you mean I have to put onions in the ground in the
fall. For next year. And just today I found about 10 onions about 6 inches
tall growing in my moms patch. . But no onions were planted there in 3
years.






At least that's what I read when I put in my onions. I have no experience
with them (or much else for that matter!). I have this feeling that there
is a lot to growing onions. This from our "friends" at Garden Web:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...061413183.html

Jeff

"Bobo" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 May 2010 00:33:18 -0400, "None4U"
wrote:

Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either let
then
grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next year. How do
you
get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and over. They don't
seed do they?


I grew up planting onions with sets. Once I started with seed I never
went back. Onions from seed are bigger and better with more variety
available. In Ohio anyway, prepare the soil in the fall for spring
planting. I planted around the first of March this year though
sometimes go as late as April, earlier is better. My soil is heavy and
so I cover the seed with compost. Planting mix or sand work too.


I got about 80 sets of red onions.For this year already. But I would like
to get them from my own seed.

On Mon, 3 May 2010 18:29:13 -0400, "None4U"
wrote:


"Bobo" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 3 May 2010 00:33:18 -0400, "None4U"
wrote:

Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm not
understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either let
then
grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next year. How do
you
get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over and over. They don't
seed do they?


I grew up planting onions with sets. Once I started with seed I never
went back. Onions from seed are bigger and better with more variety
available. In Ohio anyway, prepare the soil in the fall for spring
planting. I planted around the first of March this year though
sometimes go as late as April, earlier is better. My soil is heavy and
so I cover the seed with compost. Planting mix or sand work too.


I got about 80 sets of red onions.For this year already. But I would like
to get them from my own seed.


I just googled this and it looks like planting from seed late in the
season is the way to produce sets. The onions go dormant at a small
size and are pulled and dried. I think the key to this would be the
timing for your area. Onions mature with different day lengths, long
day in the north and short day in the south (US). So you might have to
have just the right kind of onion for this. I've only seen certain
varieties available as sets too, so maybe some onion types are
unsuitable. Anyway it looks like you'll have to experiment to get it
right.

Bobo wrote in
:

On Mon, 3 May 2010 00:33:18 -0400, "None4U"
wrote:

Hi . Anyone care to explain how to grow onions from year to year. I'm
not understanding how making onion sets gets you anywhere. You either
let then grow and eat them or plant them late and make sets for next
year. How do you get onions to reproduce. Without buying them over
and over. They don't seed do they?


I grew up planting onions with sets. Once I started with seed I never
went back. Onions from seed are bigger and better with more variety
available. In Ohio anyway, prepare the soil in the fall for spring
planting. I planted around the first of March this year though
sometimes go as late as April, earlier is better. My soil is heavy and
so I cover the seed with compost. Planting mix or sand work too.


Would I be correct if I said that onion sets bought will not generate seed
because they have been heat treated and grown from seed they will?

I find it confusing because I have done both and no seeds yet over the last
2 years despite that my neighbours having seeds from seed sown onions,

No big deal I know, but a home grown baked onion or 2 with our Sunday
Dinner is..........mmmm and I am jealous because I cant do it.

Cheers
PtePike

In article ,
phorbin wrote:


:-) My grandfather (my cousins used to call him grandpa fibber) would
tell stories about planting baked onions and getting baked onion bushes.

I used to tell my kids about a guy that lived in our apple tree and it
was good to give the tree some water once in awhile. Same daughters
would kiss our oak trees on occasion. Then on Oct 30 someone would run
about with a pumpkin with candles a blaze but I do not know who would do
such a thing in the dark )

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

In article ,
phorbin wrote:


:-) My grandfather (my cousins used to call him grandpa fibber) would
tell stories about planting baked onions and getting baked onion bushes.

I used to tell my kids about a guy that lived in our apple tree and it
was good to give the tree some water once in awhile. Same daughters
would kiss our oak trees on occasion. Then on Oct 30 someone would run
about with a pumpkin with candles a blaze but I do not know who would do
such a thing in the dark )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_ecology

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?

In article ,
says...


Would I be correct if I said that onion sets bought will not generate seed
because they have been heat treated and grown from seed they will?

No.

I find it confusing because I have done both and no seeds yet over the last
2 years despite that my neighbours having seeds from seed sown onions,

What variety of onion?

We grow Vidalia from seed, Egyptian (aka walking onion) which propagates
itself very well, and Stuttgarter from dutch sets. All will blossom and
set seed though blossoms on the Egyptian are kinda weirdly mixed with
the bulbs on the top.

Did your onions have blossoms?

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_clos...6855175-onion-
blossom.php?id=6855175

http://healthyhomegardening.com/Plant.php?pid=996

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-3695...e-up-flowered-
onion-blossom.html


No big deal I know, but a home grown baked onion or 2 with our Sunday
Dinner is..........mmmm and I am jealous because I cant do it.

:-) My grandfather (my cousins used to call him grandpa fibber) would
tell stories about planting baked onions and getting baked onion bushes.

Sometimes it takes a few tries before you catch the wave. ...Onions and
radishes are pretty foolproof.

In article ,
says...
In article ,
phorbin wrote:


:-) My grandfather (my cousins used to call him grandpa fibber) would
tell stories about planting baked onions and getting baked onion bushes.

I used to tell my kids about a guy that lived in our apple tree and it
was good to give the tree some water once in awhile. Same daughters
would kiss our oak trees on occasion. Then on Oct 30 someone would run
about with a pumpkin with candles a blaze but I do not know who would do
such a thing in the dark )

:-)