Grow Organic Onions
Read Before You Plant Any Type of OnionsPlus, tips to plant scallions, leeks, chives, onions and shallots
It is well worth it to invest time preparing the soil before planting onions. Onions are shallow rooted, require fertile soil and plenty of water. Preparing the bed and making sure there is access to water are the first steps.
Loosen up the soil to six inches deep. Work in plenty of compost to increase fertility and improve water retention. Make soil loose and crumbly, removing all clots.
Because onions are shallow rooted, they do not compete well with weeds for nutrients or water. Be diligent about weeding right from the start. A regular watering schedule is best.
Gardeners anxious to begin the growing season, should consider growing onions. Organic onions cost more than inorganic onions. But once you plant some of these onion varieties you will never have to buy them again.
Onion Varieties
Seeds, Starts or Sets?
Growing plants in the onion family may be the first seeds (scallions) that you sow in spring and the last crop (leeks) you harvest in the fall. Onions are a cool season crop that can be grown as sets, transplants or seeds.
Organic seed is easier to locate than organic sets or transplants. Young onion plants will survive in the soil in cold weather as long as the ground doesn’t freeze. Sow seeds directly into the garden or get an early start indoors.
Start seeds in trays then plant into the garden in late winter or early spring. This is the most time consuming and most economical way to produce onions in the home garden.
How to Grow Onions
Onions prefer light, sandy, loamy soils, good drainage and full sun. They will grow in other types of soil, including clay. Green onions can be grown in partial shade.
Begin growing onions indoors from seed about six weeks before the last predicted frost date. Sow in flats, then transplant onions to 1″-2″ apart. Harden off onion seedling before transplanting to prevent sunscald.
I have my best luck growing onions from sets. These baby onions are well established and partly grown. Even though sets are more expensive, they can be directly planted where the onions will grow. Or, plant them closer, thinning and using green onions (scallions) until the remaining onions are properly spaced.
Spacing depends on the variety of onion. Generally, planting to 3″ – 4″ inches apart for green onions and thinning to at least 5-6 inches apart for large bulbing onions. Proper spacing will affect the size of the mature onion.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum)
Chive plants grow in a clump of hollow, grass-like leaves. The quickest way to get a blooming pant, is to buy a small starter plant. Once planted and established the chives will produce flowers.
Leave some blooms to self seed. Pick the rest to make a beautiful pink herb vinegar. Here’s how to make chive herb vinegar. Homemade herb vinegars To harvest clip with scissors just an inch above the ground.
Uses: Use in place of green onions in any recipe or salad. Chopped chives are a welcome garnish on any savory dish. Top salads, soup, baked potato skins. Honey mustard salad dressing, herb butter.
Scallions
Scallions are also called spring onions, green onions, or salad onions. They are the imature onion, picked before the bulb has formed. Generally planted on crowded rows with the expectation the the onions will bulb if properly thinned. The thinnings, or long slim green onion is a scallion.
These scallions could grow up to be hot or sweet, red, yellow or white, torpedo shaped, or a flattened globe. Some are sweet and as big as a baseball. Some are spicy, flattened globes or biscuit shaped and very hot.
As plants are thinned, the remaining plants in the ground should be spaced at least 4 inches apart. Shallow rooted onions, can not compete with aggressive weeds. Good soil and plenty of fertizer and water are your job. Now stand back and let these onions grow to maturity.
Bulbing or Storage Onions
Long-day and short-day onions
