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?

Many thanks,
-T

On 5/19/2019 4:35 AM, 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.Â*Â* Zip.Â* Nothing.

Is there any trick to onions seeds?

Many thanks,
-T

Â* I think you might be planting them too deep . IIRC rule of thumb is
twice as deep as the size of the seed , those are so tiny you might try
just a very light dusting to barely cover them . I tried onions from
seed one time , now I buy the bulbs or seedlings .

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

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?

Many thanks,
-T

Are they fresh-for-this-year seeds or leftovers from
previous years?

I've found that onion seeds usually don't work unless they're
fresh.

Try planting them closer to the surface. Another trick I
sometimes use with onions or carrot seeds is to cover them
with a thin layer of peat moss instead of potting or seed
starting mix. The peat moss retains moisture and is easier
for the seeds to push through to the surface and light.

Nyssa, who needs to transplant a bunch of started red onion
seeds later today or tomorrow at the latest

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

On 5/19/19 7:06 AM, Nyssa wrote:
Are they fresh-for-this-year seeds or leftovers from
previous years?

I bought them a month ago

On 5/19/19 4:56 AM, Terry Coombs wrote:
nowÂ*IÂ*buyÂ*theÂ*bulbsÂ*orÂ*seedlings

I think that is what I am going to do too. Wally World
sells the bulbs. They should hit the shelves any time now.

On 5/19/19 8:49 AM, songbird wrote:
it may take a week or two before they sprout.

Going on week three

:'(

songbird wrote:

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

Good way to do direct seeding in the garden.

I start 'em indoors under plant lights, then transplant the
little devils outside and keep 'em watered well until they
settle in.

Nyssa, who has a small potfull of baby red onion plants
that will be going outside this afternoon

T wrote:
On 5/19/19 8:49 AM, songbird wrote:
it may take a week or two before they sprout.

Going on week three

:'(

seems like old seed or mistreated seed was sold
to you.

sets and starts can be planted out weeks ago but
we just get them when we pick up the rest of the
later warm weather plantings.

i can't ever get Mom to understand that it is ok
to get some things earlier and i forget myself to
bring it up.


songbird

On 5/20/19 6:41 PM, songbird wrote:
seems like old seed or mistreated seed was sold
to you.

Got them from GrowOrganic.com

On 5/19/19 2:35 AM, 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.Â*Â* Zip.Â* Nothing.

Is there any trick to onions seeds?

Many thanks,
-T

Spoke with the greenhouse guy about this when I picked up
my tomato plants. When I told him I could not grow an onion
from seed for my life, he told "and you never will." I asked
him why, considering the farmers around here grew onions for
seeds and are actually famous for it. He told me that it is
a problem with the soil around here and that the commercial
farmers are using special chemicals to get around the problem.

Fortunately the 100 bulbs for $3.00 from Wally World grow
just fine.

T wrote:
....
Spoke with the greenhouse guy about this when I picked up
my tomato plants. When I told him I could not grow an onion
from seed for my life, he told "and you never will." I asked
him why, considering the farmers around here grew onions for
seeds and are actually famous for it. He told me that it is
a problem with the soil around here and that the commercial
farmers are using special chemicals to get around the problem.

which shouldn't make any difference for those you
are starting in a seed starting mix or potting soil...


Fortunately the 100 bulbs for $3.00 from Wally World grow
just fine.



let a few flower and drop seeds you'll get some
to sprout eventually. somewhere in that place you
call home is enough organic matter and soil that
they'll grow.

they don't even need prime conditions to start as
i've had them pop up in the pathways here which are
mulched with crushed and rinsed limestone - whatever
dirt is in there is what has blown in or fell in
from various other things.


songbird