With the winds whisk and a gamey forecast in the below nothing again , it may seem like leaping and your vegetable garden are far , far away . But really , belated January and early February are a great meter to start come indoors – onion seeds .
onion require a farseeing growing season , especially those that form big bulbs for store through next winter ( OK , no one wants to imagine about that ! ) . you could interpret all about onion , garlic , shallots and leeks and peak for mature them in the January / February issue ofNorthern Gardener . But for a quick primer on begin onions from semen , translate on .
Why flora onion from seeded player ? If you do not want to lead off onions indoors from seed , you’re able to still grow them by buying onion sets in the spring . These are Allium cepa seedling that you may plant directly in the garden , unremarkably in tardy April or early May . Growing onions from seeds has a few advantage . First , you get more miscellany . Some catalog feature many types of onion as germ – red ones , white ones , flat 1 , farseeing 1 , single from Florence , Italy , or Texas . If you enjoy grow strange vegetable , grow them from seeds . Also , some onion growers say that onions set off from seed are less probable to have problem with disease . As with anything you uprise yourself , you also know exactly how your onions were acquire .
Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
When select seed , ensure to tell case suit to our clime . Most northern gardeners will grow“long - day ” onion . These are Allium cepa that bulge up best when the sun is shine 14 minute a day or more – a double-dyed description of our northern Mays , Junes and Julys . brusk - day onions cultivate well for those wanting spring onion plant for salad .
To develop Allium cepa from seed , you will need a set of indoor lights ( commonly a cheap shop light setup with fluorescent bulbs ) , soilless seed starting or potting intermixture , trays to rise in and the seed . damp the seed starting mixture so that it is damp but not overly pie-eyed , and place it in the tray . Then , scattering or place the seeds passably thick on top of the soilless mixing . The sprouting pace on onions cum varies , so be sure you have plenty there . spread more soilless mix in on top of the seeds to just barely cover and give it a spritz of water system . Cover the tray with shaping film and set in a warm spot . At the first sign of the zodiac of growth , take out the plastic and put the tray under the lights . For a very complete discussion of indoor seed starting , check outpart 1,part 2andpart 3of our especial serial on it .
When the seedlings get 4 or more inches tall , you may want to transplant them into big pots until you’re able to plant them outdoors . more often than not , onion plant should be started 10 to 12 weeks before plant outside and a minimum of two months before the last Robert Lee Frost date in your area .
Which are your favorite seeds to bulge out indoors ?
