Medwyn Williams is sowing onion seeds so displays are ready for the autumn shows
Start them off now if you want a great display for the September shows
There's still time to sow onion seed for the under 250g class. ‘Toughball’ is one variety that has been winning consistently on the show bench, but it's a little late to sow this one now. But there are still some other excellent selections you could sow that will be ready to show in September. Another variety winning at the highest level is ‘Tasco’, as well as ‘Vento’. Both of these possess an excellent skin finish that has a lovely brown colour.
Years ago when I sowed onion seed, it was simply broadcast sown on top of the seed compost and covered over with some superfine grade Vermiculite. Lately though, I've had made a template for sowing these onions made from some 6mm (¼in) thick plastic I had. I drilled holes into it at 2.5cm (1in) apart each way and countersunk, making it easier to sow one seed in each hole. This allows each seed enough space to develop properly and rather than transplanting at a very young stage the seedlings can be allowed to develop much stronger and transplant easier without any collapsing. The template fits into a full-sized seed tray but you can make one to fit into a half-sized tray if you want smaller quantities.
The compost I use for sowing is Levington F2S , a very fine grade compost with silver sand incorporated that has enough nutrients to keep the plants growing vigorously until transplanting time. I'll transplant them into small cells, usually 12 cells in a half-sized seed tray again using F2S. I do find that the onions stand upright in smaller cells or pots as the roots get around the cell much quicker. From these cells they'll go into 9cm pots (3½in), this time using Humax original multi-purpose compost that already contains Nutrimate.
■ Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.