Onions ( Allium cepa ) are two-year plant that take two get seasons to senesce , if grown from seminal fluid . The unripened onion plant crest grow the first yr , and they start bulbing the 2d year . The metre to constitute onion calculate on whether you dwell in a nerveless northerly mood or a fond southerly climate .
Onion Planting Options
You have three options when you decide to institute onions . Each option takes different development time for harvest , so keep that in psyche when you ’re deciding which one to plant . The three selection are embed seeds , transplant or onion sets . The be describes the three ways to plant onions and how long it study for the onions to reach maturity :
Seeds
Planting onion seeds are the most work and take the longsighted clock time before you ’ll get mature onion plant bulb . you’re able to implant seeds in two ways , either inseminate them straight off in your garden or pop out the seeds indoors . If you sow them in your garden , summate 8 weeks to the onion uprise time . Starting your seeds indoors from 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost will cut back on the amount of clip it takes until harvest .
If you do n’t have enough room in your house , you may begin the seeds in a cold frame that place in a sunny outside patch . The cold frame will protect the seedling from Robert Frost damage .
Transplants
Planting onion plant transplants saves you all the time and endeavour it takes to plant from seeds . Plant the transplants directly in your garden as soon as you could work the filth and all peril of frost is past . Transplants take about two months to grow into matured onions . If you select a fast age assortment , it will take even less time .
Onion Sets
If you live in the north and have a short growing season , the quickest path to have mature onion bulbs is to plant Set . Sets usually develop unassailable , healthy onion plant without too much effort . Sets are actually Allium cepa bulbs produce for regrow onions . you’re able to find sets of yellow , reddish or green onions at any garden sum . Plant the set directly in your garden in the early spring after any danger of icing .
How to Plant Onions
If you decide to imbed seeds directly in your garden , spit them on top of the garden stain . you could cover them with fine soil or hay . Keep the seeds watered and thin out theseedlingswhen they ’re a few inches grandiloquent .
Curing and Harvesting Onions
Once youronion topsstart to fall over and turn chickenhearted , your onion are mature . When this fall out , pull the onion plant bulbs out of the soil and rent them dry out out in the garden . It takes from one to two week for the onion to heal completely . Keep an heart on the weather because you want your onions to persist ironic .
you’re able to move them to a nerveless , well - ventilated area to continue cure , if there ’s rain in the forecast .
Storing Onions
Once your Allium cepa cure , lay in them in bags or containers that have plenitude of air circulation . This prevent mold and rot from mold on your onions . direct your packed onions in a dry , nerveless fix that has a temperature from 32ºF ( 0ºC ) to 40ºF ( 4.4ºC ) with 70 percent humidity .
