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Why planting onion seeds is better than planting sets



I’m sowing my onion seeds. So let me tell you which onion varieties I’ve chosen to sow and grow this year, and why I switched from planting sets to sowing onion seeds.
With seeds, not only is it a lot cheaper than both sets and starts, but you also have fewer problems with bolting.

▶THE NEXT VIDEO TO WATCH◀
Sowing my seeds and my choice of pots, seed trays and seed modules: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnorZgSer2k

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▶CHANNELS I MENTION◀
@GreenSideUp sowing onion seeds: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wXogFMDwye8&feature=shares
@CharlesDowding1nodig sowing onions: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1k0f4GoC6Zw&feature=shares
Ali Grows Food (Instagram) https://www.instagram.com/aligrowsfood/

Picture of Ailsa Craig courtesy of Scottish Rural Network: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snrn/10927202936/

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31 Comments

  1. 🙋hi from Scotland hi Elie i grow lots of onions at my allotment I put in winter sets ad they are doing great at the moment they are about seven inches and are in beside my garlic bed ,when I do onions from seed I do them in a black flower pot I sprinkle the seeds on too if the soil not to over sow the sprinkle compost over then ,when it's time to plant them out I emty the pot out rinse the onion starts and they all separate into individual onion starts then plant in my onion bed i grow about eighty onions and store them lifted them about august last year and they are still looking great give it a try i do my leeks the same way takes up no room at all happy new year Anne from Scotland

  2. I find the root ball of onions is very easy to separate without damaging it so I start them in 4" cells and easily get 50+ onions per cell.. when it comes to planting either use a hose or bucket of water to wash the soil off then each individual onion should pull apart from the others. This method saved me a ton of room, basically get all my onions for the year in 3-4 cells.

  3. I’m going to get the sowing started soon but I’ve bought a lot of seeds and don’t really have the space (plan to build this up 😉). So Q – do seeds keep?

  4. From Southern, Ontario, Canada. Just found your channel. Enjoyed your explanations on onions. Simple and straightforward. Have a great day💝🇨🇦

  5. I grow them from seed last year for first time but because first sewing didnt come I panicked and bought some sets. The second sowing was more successful than the first. Growing from seeds I had a better crop than sets and no bolting and the bulbs didnt rot when I hanged them to dry and later stores unlike set onions I always lose at least a 1/3 of the crop when they rot

  6. Sweet Spanish is our go-to here, much different climate ( northern nevada USA) but a great variety. I've wanted to grow Alisa Craig maybe I'll wait and see how the sweet Spanish do for you 🤣

  7. In Scotland you have winter temperatures like in Quebec?? We usually have very cold like minus 20-30’C. And snow. Is that like that in your place. I ask that because I bought a "hothouse " (I am French speaking!!) like your but was afraid to construct it for the winter.

  8. If they are long day and you are starting them boxing day ( shorter days of sunlight) , do you put them under lights to give them longer periods of light when your starting them?

  9. Here from the US. I've never tried growing onion from seeds, but someone gave me some. So I'm going to give it a go!

  10. I'm so excited for all your videos this year, I'm in Scotland too (east coast, a bit further north than you), so I'll probably be following along quite closely, lol. I'm still so new to this and I have no one to ask in real life, so the internet is vital for me. I really appreciate you making these videos to help those of us who are very new and not quite green thumbed yet, lol.

  11. I grew from seed last year. We had a late snowfall that I think affected the plants and caused them to bolt early. It was really annoying but I did get a tiny harvest. So I am trying again this year. I hope they do better for me. I want to do garlic too but the stores put the bulbs out in spring, guess I can try putting them in the fridge for a couple of weeks to cold shock them.

  12. i am interested in learning about your seed incubators there and how to build them, do you have a video for that please

  13. Love the story and pronunciation of Alisa Craig onions. I do seeds and some plants. I am from the US and have a new channel-AnOldYankeeGardener. I gets this seed from Johnny's, Baker Creek, or West Coast seeds. I buy my plants/starts from Dixion Dale Farms. This is a great video for MIgardener – he is our gardening goo rue! 🙂

  14. Hi Eli. Found your channel today. Loved it, the onion seed video was so informative. I’m a new allotment gardener, just starting my second year. Last year was good even with the heat and early snow.
    I love the help and advice you give. Thank you. Regards Kim x

  15. Excellent presentation.I started planting my onion seeds two years. The size and quality of the onions was so much better. I live in US. We grow short day onions in Oklahoma.

  16. I wasn’t going to plant onions this year…but now I feel like I need to do a grow along with Eli…and plant some Red Baron onions! You know just because the name! I’ll try to find some seeds here in the US!

  17. Happy New year to you both! Onions are my nemesis in the garden! Thanks for the tips! My zone (6a Connecticut) requires a long day onion! It may be my timing but I will keep trying! take care and blessings

  18. Haven't watched the video yet but absolutely DELIGHTED to see over 10k views in 2 days. Smashing it, Eli! Keep up the good work!!

  19. I have NEVER had any luck with sets except making beautiful onion greens. I am currently looking for the onion seeds I have already.

  20. I had no idea about long day and short day onions! I'm now googling to try to work out which sorts I have 😬. Oh well, if they don't bulb I guess I'll just have a lot of Spring Onions. 🥴

  21. I started with seeds a couple years ago and will never go back to sets! I’m in zone 5 in Canada and because they were starting to die in the house, I planted them outside as soon as I could. Despite getting a little snow and very cold weather, they did great by the end of my growing season!
    My ancestry is Scottish and I love listening to you speak! Someday I hope to get to Scotland.

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