so what do you all think about winter sowing vs spring sowing? I have a friend that wants to try to plant some this winter. Is it really worth the effort? When would you plant, probably around garlic planting time I suppose. What would be better seed, set, plant?
Thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
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gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
I only plant from seed, and I have to plant in the fall. I don't know about sets. I do know that the type of onions and garlic you plant depends a lot on where you live. Onions and garlic are sensitive to day length. I have to plant short day onions.
If you have the space onions are worth it, but they are a long crop November-June, I don't have the garden space to grow enough to meet my needs, and I would have to forego growing other early maturing crops instead. My rules of thumb for growing vs buying are:
1. I eat a lot of it and can use it all
2. It is easy for me to grow and harvest
3. Tastes better fresh
4. Is relatively expensive to buy
5. Makes the most efficient use of the space I have.
By this criteria, I usually only grow a small patch of onions for use as pickles. It is hard to store onions since there are no root cellars here and after a couple of weeks the sweet onions get very hot. Onions are relatively cheap and take up more space than other valuable things like herbs that are more expensive per lb, taste better fresh, are easy to grow, have a long harvest, and take up a lot less space.
If you have the space onions are worth it, but they are a long crop November-June, I don't have the garden space to grow enough to meet my needs, and I would have to forego growing other early maturing crops instead. My rules of thumb for growing vs buying are:
1. I eat a lot of it and can use it all
2. It is easy for me to grow and harvest
3. Tastes better fresh
4. Is relatively expensive to buy
5. Makes the most efficient use of the space I have.
By this criteria, I usually only grow a small patch of onions for use as pickles. It is hard to store onions since there are no root cellars here and after a couple of weeks the sweet onions get very hot. Onions are relatively cheap and take up more space than other valuable things like herbs that are more expensive per lb, taste better fresh, are easy to grow, have a long harvest, and take up a lot less space.
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
I have always planted onions in the Spring. Well, with the exception of the Egyptian onion bulbils. They can be planted any time and shortly make scallions.
Onions can be planted from seed, sets or small plants. The sets or plants, Spring planted ,will give nice large onion bulbs. Seed, Spring planted, will give nice scallions and later small bulbs.
Haven't tried fall or winter planting of onions here at this elevation. Winters are a little rough, perhaps onions will winter over, but they for sure won't grow.
If you like scallions, plant some White Bunching Onions from seed.
Nice thing about onions, all parts of the plant are edible and have that onion flavor and tang. You can eat the whole plant from seedlings to adult.
Onions can be planted from seed, sets or small plants. The sets or plants, Spring planted ,will give nice large onion bulbs. Seed, Spring planted, will give nice scallions and later small bulbs.
Haven't tried fall or winter planting of onions here at this elevation. Winters are a little rough, perhaps onions will winter over, but they for sure won't grow.
If you like scallions, plant some White Bunching Onions from seed.
Nice thing about onions, all parts of the plant are edible and have that onion flavor and tang. You can eat the whole plant from seedlings to adult.