Sowing onions for the next harvest
IPLANTED our onion sets a few weeks ago, but I am also sowing some seeds to extend cropping. Although sets (small onions) are popular because they are an easy way of starting a crop, they don’t always offer you as wide a range of varieties as seeds.
The seeds should be sown in trays or modules of fresh, dampened seed compost. Although they are small, try to sow them roughly 1∕2in (1cm) apart or 1-2 seeds per module, so the developing plants have enough room.
Germinate the seeds somewhere light and frost-free, and prick out the seedlings into larger pots when the are big enough to handle safely. Grow them on and plant them out in spring when the soil is starting to warm up. They will need hardening off first.
The warmer weather is also when you can start sowing onion seeds in situ. Once they get going, they need remarkably little aftercare other than regular weeding (their strappy leaves aren’t broad enough to shade out unwanted plants) and watering during very dry spells. An occasional generalpurpose liquid feed as they develop will also keep plants robust and create large, healthy bulbs.