Friday, April 19, 2013

Seed Sowing: Onions

Seed starting onions

The only seed sowing I've begun so far is my onion seeds. I started these back in February:

Seed starting onions
  • Bronze D'Amposta red onions (ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)
  • Sweet Spanish  (Ferry Morse, purchased at local garden center)
  • Red Burgundy (Ferry Morse, purchased at local garden center)
  • Hybrid Granex Yellow (Ferry Morse, purchased at local garden center)

Onion seedlings
I planted 5 of each seed. I got a good germination rate from the Baker Creek seeds-- 3 out of 5 germinated. I'm most excited to try these onions. They're described as "sweet...A great variety for fresh eating, as it is not too hot tasting." I think that means I won't repel my husband when I move in for a kiss.

Germination rates:
1 Sweet Spanish onion germinated, 3 out 5 Red Burgundy onions germinated, and only 1 of that wacky hybrid one germinated, but it promptly shriveled and died. Hybrids!

I think red onions are so pretty and I hope that my red onions seedlings pull through.

onion patch afterwards
I mentioned weeding out my onion patch in my last post. I planted this onion patch in Fall 2011, and last summer harvested about 2 pounds of onions. I left the others in the ground (show in picture above) and they survived the winter. It smelled really good when I was weeding last weekend!

onion harvest 8-18
 {{Here's what I harvested last summer from the onion patch.}}

Sadly, I cannot remember what variety they are!! That really bugs me because I'd love to grow more of them. They are mild and slightly sweet, and the flavor is very concentrated. A little bit goes a long way when I'm cooking and they're OK when eaten raw.

garlic 4-6-13
I also have a small garlic patch, which happened by accident. I call this variety Farmers' Market garlic because I bought a head of garlic at the farmers' market last fall, put in it in the ceramic garlic house when I got home, and forgot all about it. A couple of weeks later I went to use it, and the cloves had sprouted little stems. So I broke them apart and planted them in my raised bed out back.

Are you growing onions or garlic?

9 comments:

  1. It is so exciting when the seeds start sprouting...

    What a wonderful crop of onions you had, I don't have much luck with them but I do try each year.
    I love to grow garlic, it's so tasty when eaten wet, straight from the ground.
    Good luck with your seedlings.xxxxx

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    1. Thank you Snowbird! They're looking a little pathetic now, I do hope they perk up.

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  2. Wow, I've never seen anyone grow onions from seed before. We always use onion sets around these parts. I'm impressed, and looking forward to watching the progress.

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    1. Thanks, planetpooks, I'll definitely post the results here.

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  3. I would love to grow them from seed but my zone needs sets to get the onions big enough. Was hoping to plant onions this weekend even with the cold. But other seed starting will be going on with those lettuces, kale chards and spinach started too.

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    1. Sounds like you'll have a nice batch of greens to enjoy!

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  4. I sowed my garlic in the ground last week as well as some onion seeds in punnets. I have been trying to keep the chickens from digging up the garlic ever since. Hopefully I will succeed as I love having home grown garlic.

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    1. Oh how funny about your chickens! I hope they don't dig up too many of the garlic bulbs. Good luck with it!

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