![]() Cut off the tops when they are thoroughly dry. Be sure to bring onions in before snow, rain or freezing temperatures. Bulbs will be ready for harvest in a week or two. Leave the bulbs on the ground exactly as they were growing to cure them for storage and prevent sunburn. When most of the tops are on the ground, lift the onions to break the bulbs from the roots. Food made in the leaves will be stored in the onion bulbs. Thrips can be controlled with insecticidal soaps.ĭo I need to stop watering onions at any point?īy late August, the tops of onion plants will begin to lay over on the ground. They live on weeds, so mulching and weeding are natural controls. Thrips are the most common insect to attack onions and can emerge from the soil. Keep gardens weed-free with mulch or shallow cultivation, since onions don’t compete well with fast-growing weeds. Don’t be concerned if bulbs develop mostly out of the soil. Preventing drought-stress in onions can also help to prevent insect problems. Since onion roots are shallow, water them frequently and never allow them to dry during bulbing or the bulbs will be small and leathery. When the plants have five to 10 leaves, thin to three inches apart, and use the pulled onions as scallions. Plant the seed about one inch deep and one and one-half inches apart. Since onion seedlings are fairly cold-tolerant, they do survive in the soil in cold weather as long as the ground doesn’t freeze. For the Denver metro area, mid- to late March is best, but onions can be planted until late April, depending on the variety. Onion seed should be planted as soon as the soil can be worked, depending on spring weather. Apply approximately one and one-half inches deep of organic material over the soil and work it in to a depth of eight inches. Onions only require ample nitrogen until mid-July. But, they also grow in sandy or clay soils that have been amended with organic material. Onions grow best in fertile soil that drains well. Good, mild onions for short-term storage include Ailsa Craig Exhibition and Walla Walla Sweet. Try Mambo and Southport Red Globe for red onions, and Bedfordshire Champion and Snow White for white onions. ![]() When shopping for seed, look for long-day varieties such as Copra and Early Yellow Globe for yellow onions. What should I look for when seed shopping? In northern Colorado, onions grown for winter storage will begin to form bulbs as summer days get longer, usually in July. An onion’s flowering process ruins the quality of a bulb onion. Growing onions from seed is economical, and seed-started onions don’t send up flower stems as often as transplanted bedding onions do. Day-neutral varieties like Candy Onion form bulbs with 12 to 14 hours of sunlight and can be grown in all but south Florida and South Texas.What are the benefits of growing from seeds? Long-day onions like Walla Walla and Yellow Sweet Spanish form bulbs with 14 to 16 hours of daylight – perfect for northern regions. This makes them a good choice for southern gardeners. Short-day onions like Georgia Sweet and Sweet red form bulbs with 10 to 12 hours of daylight. Keep lights 4 to 6” above the plant, on for 12 hours a day, and growing temperatures between 55 and 65 degrees for stouter growth.Ī bit more information: Here are a few onion varieties to consider. Keep the mix moist and move the plants under artificial light or in a sunny window as soon as green appears. ![]() ![]() Plant onion seeds ¾” deep in a clean container filled with a well-drained potting or seed starting mix. Start seeds indoors 10 to 15 weeks before you plan on moving them into the garden. Purchase fresh seeds each year for the best germination. Select short day onion varieties if gardening in the south, long-day varieties for northern areas, and day-neutral for all but South Florida and South Texas. You will find a greater selection of varieties than those sold as transplants and sets. Try growing your own onion transplants from seeds started indoors. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that
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