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Requirements for growing onion sets

Onions need a lot of sun to thrive, so a sunny spot should always be chosen in the bed. The soil is ideally slightly sandy, well-drained and rich in nutrients. Care must be taken to ensure that no waterlogging forms in the bed, as this leads to the onions rotting. It is also an advantage if the wind can pull through well at the selected location. This will prevent the infestation of mildew bent forward.
Another requirement is regular watering. Although onion sets can survive a dry period well, care should always be taken to ensure that the soil has constant moisture.

When and how are onions planted?

When growing onions using onion sets, there is one sowing possible in spring and one in late autumn. One distinguishes

• Spring onions and
• Winter onions

The spring cultivation

The first onions can be sown in the bed between March and April. No onions should have been grown here for two to three years so that enough nutrients are available for the new sowing. If you want to be on the safe side, work a dose of compost into the soil before sowing.

1. First loosen the soil thoroughly.
2. Remove the weeds.
3. Keep a distance of 20 cm between the rows.
4. Put the bulbs in rows in the soil with a distance of 10 cm. The top third of the onion is still sticking out of the ground.
5. Use a planting cord to help keep the rows straight.
6. Make sure that the onions get enough moisture, but avoid waterlogging.

Winter onions

Good and well-known varieties of winter onion sets are, for example:

• Presto, yellow-skinned
• Radar, yellow-skinned
• Piroschka, red-skinned
• Romy, red-skinned

These are put into a well-loosened, crumbly soil in autumn, in the months of September or October. The soil should be fertilized beforehand with a dose of compost. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are not recommended, as the onions sprout too quickly and then can no longer withstand the winter cold.
Also, plant the winter onions in rows with a distance of 10 cm in the ground. The top third of the onion is sticking out. Here too, the rows should be 20 cm apart.

Caring for the onions in winter

The onions germinate well and are usually frost hardy. They develop additional roots in the winter months. The young onion plants do not mind a blanket of snow. However, the young plants should be protected in the case of cold frosts (heavy frost without snow). It is best to cover them with brushwood or fir green.
As soon as the snow has thawed, the rows of onions can be warmed with a fleece pad. March is a gift Complete fertilizer This is not a bad thing, because this will give the onions another strong boost. The harvest can then usually take place as early as mid-May.

Tips for using onion sets

When shopping for your onion sets, be sure to buy only hazelnut-sized specimens. Small onions don't shoot that fast. Bags with 250 g onion sets are usually available in stores. Store the bulbs in a dark room with a room temperature of no more than 20 degrees until sowing so that germination can occur as little as possible.
To ensure that the onion sets look good outdoors, they can be soaked in lukewarm water for one night before sowing. The onions soak up full of water and then develop roots more quickly in the bed.

When are onions ripe?

Spring onions are usually ready for harvest faster than onions that are sown. The foliage begins to turn yellow and dry as early as the end of July / beginning of August. Now is the right time to harvest onions.
The winter onion sets can be harvested as early as May, depending on the variety. Here, too, you can tell the time of ripening by the fact that the leaves wither.
Spring and winter onions need to dry for some time after harvesting in a dry and airy place. Then they can be stored.