Where do seeds come from? Onions are biennial, so it takes a year and a half.
They grow to a bulb in the first year. That’s the bit we eat
Towards the end of winter, shoots appear, and growth begins again. This time not to increase bulb size, but to make a flowering stem.
I show you the results of doing this deliberately, with several onions planted in March. Each onion makes 4 to 7 stems, with flowering bulbs on top of every stem.
Onions are amazing, they’re one of my favourite vegetables. Such great flavour and so easy to store, for 8 to 9 months of food from one harvest.
I would not call them easy to grow but if you get it right, this will happen. Especially when growing from seed, and multisown.
You also should find that homesaved seed, germinates faster in February under cover. See oy guide to growing them
https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/product/pln_onion-and-salad-onion-growing-guide-41fw0qh4
Learn more in my Growing guide about onions.
Learn also about No-Dig in my book
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40 Comments
Those are the best seed grown onions I've seen. I must confess that I've never done very well with onions. Perhaps next year. Some years ago I came to fully appreciate the saying '… knows their onions'.
I actually planted bunching onions from seed in January and some are going to seed now in the garden because I forgot to pull them. I wonder, since I do this annually with some onions, if that’s why I have volunteer onions and garlic every year. 😂
Your asparagus ferns are incredible!
Very informative. I listened twice to make sure I got all the info. I had a beautiful onion crop this year (from sets), so I will plan to save some to put in the ground for seed in the spring. Can’t wait to see the fun happen! Also, the web site is looking great. The on line courses appear to be an awesome way to spend my time in the cold,cold winter.
Thank you Charles. I'll be sharing my onions with my spouse only. lol.
Home grown taste is incredible.
Blessings and much respect from me in Zone 6b. usa.
Thank you❤
I kind of a plant nerd. (I’m surprised I have any friends)
But I did not know that onions were biannual. Very interesting video. Always learn something growing gardens and listening to other gardeners.
I've had both onions (Ailsa Craig & Santero) & leeks (Krypton F1) grown from seed bolt this year, probably 20%.
All multisown in cells mid February & planted out in May.
Any suggestion as to why?
THE LIFE OF AN ONION WAS CERTAINLY A GREAT BOOK BUT NOT AS GOOD AS IT’S SEQUEL…….THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ALLIUM EMPIRE !!!!!! RIVETING………SO MUCH SO THAT IT MADE US CRY !!!!!!😢
My onions had beautiful flowers and when I tore the flower staljs out I had onion bulbs again. These onions seem to be triannual.
I grew onions for the first time from sets. Lots of bolted onions as I learned happens when you plant sets. I decided to let them flower and save seed and am now kind of thinking I shouldn’t ‘put all my eggs in the one basket’ and grow the bolted onion seeds due to what I have read and what you have said.
If I multi sow heavily and thin the weakest will the end result still be “good”, do you reckon?
Or are your thoughts that the end result of bolted onions not as good as it’s superior straight forward onion seed?
I hope that makes sense 😃
que tal te queda la sopa de cebolla☺? ahora se cuando recolectar semillas
Thanks for sharing
Charles, do you just use the compost for your seedling soil mix or it’s a mix of few things
Thanks for sharing a video
Very informative
Hello,sorry what is growing behind you?
Molim prwvod na srpski jezik !
I tried saving seed some years ago and wow, the vigor!
Something even more interesting I found, though, was that the year AFTER the onions had flowered and seeded – those same onions came up with flowers once more on the third year! Never thought they could even do that.
I've never seen flowers on an onion. I'm doing something wrong. I do have onions from sets
I have small onions which I shall try to transplant
Sow pun intended are the seeds in the flower heads which I have never seen on an onion plant? So should I have left onion to go to seed?
Thank you. I did not know to plant late for sets…always something good from Charles Dowding!
This is perfect helpfull video 🙏🙏🙏🌱🍂🌞
Charles, maybe an additional note to tell folk that seed saved from F1 hybrid onions won't come true. Although the madman I am is letting a group of different F1s cross pollinate to see what eventually eats, stores and grows best for me hehe well we'll see 🥴
With the onions, you have to have a lot of plants to gather seed from for genetic diversity. Is that true for spinach.? I saved 5 plants to go to seed. Now I wonder if that is enough.
I saved seeds from spring onion left over for next year. Already planted 3 almost rotting red onion for seeds only and keeping hi shi ko bunching onions for same purpose.
Mannnn I just planted the wrong kind of onions seeds for my region and didn’t realize it. I need short day onions and I planted long day. I’ll see if they grow and use them as green onions if nothing else. Can’t wait for my short day seeds to come in.
I don't think it's all such bad news with onion sets, you do need to learn and work with them. I successfully grow the over wintering varieties in my PT with little bolting, they're heat treated to prevent this. I put some in long plastic troughs in Autumn, then drag them out in Spring to finish off outside to give me space for the Summer crops in there. Others I plant in rows all the way down the PT up against the sides. Because they're tall and straight they don't take up much room so the toms go in 2ft away from the sides in Spring and the two grow together until the onions are ready. If they're still finishing off I put cucumbers and climbing beans in the gaps where an onion has been pulled out, they grow up the sides of the PT. That way i've got an early crop of fresh onions to get me through Summer, Autumn and into Winter, some do save better than others, it's down to the variety. I also grow some outside from seed, it's all about maximising the space you have and growing in it all year round.
I have ordered your 2024 Garden Calendar. It’s arriving tomorrow and I am super excited.
Don't know what happened with my onions this year. Grew them from seed but they just didn't seem to swell at all, harvested them as small little things.
Love this video. ❤ Thank you so much. I was wondering, is regular watering and a top dress of compost needed? Also, once harvesting the seed head, is the onion below edible?
I like to rub out my seed too! 😂🎉
Thanks Charles, very interesting some details I was not aware of !
Charles, do you do much with cover crops in Winter? Do all your beds have something growing in them in Winter? I don't believe I've seen you mention it ever, but if you have then please let me know where and i'll watch/read it etc. They look like a lot of hard work, especially successfully terminating them in Spring. Was wondering if spreading a compost mulch on top over Winter wouldn't be as good.
What a beautiful flower, I love letting my veg go to seed because I enjoy the flowers so much and for pollinators of course, but have been slack about collecting them for planting. Thanks as always for the encouragement.
Thanks for the information Charles! I didn't know that about cross-pollination for carrots. I let a few go to seed in a bed last year and ended up with lots of nice sprouts this spring. When I finally pulled them out, there was NOTHING!! I was so disappointed, because I was very excited about them (I even recorded it)… Now, I think I know the problem… Too bad I don't want to dedicate enough space to do this. It's just good to know so I don't waste my time trying to save just 1 or 2 again.
Should be Charles Dowding mbe.
Thanks Mr Dowding. I now apreciate the need for numbers for seed saveing success. So probably will continue to buy and not resent the expense as I'm trading money for space and time. I do save runner beans and the lambs lettuce sows itself and this year amazingly despite July and August seed saved from a butternut squash has produced ripe fruit !
I have just received next years Calender (2024) and its great. best Calender yet I would say. has loads of usefull sowing dates for 1st ,2nd 3rd plantings its a brilliant thing! didnt know where to put this as I couldn't find anywhere for reviews on your website. Well Worth a buy I would say
Hi, I’ve been listening to a Zoe podcast/YouTube video on diet, microbes and the impact on brain health. It confirms what I’ve thought for years – that Charles’ no dig method of supporting microbes in the soil can be connected to the Zoe scientists’ research into gut microbes and health. It’s really worth a listen, although it only briefly mentions the terrible effects of the food industry growing in basically dead soil. https://youtu.be/_oHnaLZA9ME?si=UgDaCvc634UT1Rke