Onion Learnings…
It’s taken years to be able to grow consistently large and abundant onions, from plugs (seedlings) or direct from seed, but I got there! I try to pick veg a season that I really, really research, experiment with and master and this seems to work, rather than trying to be the best at it all, all at once and then not being good with any of it (old habit).
Here is what I find my onions grow from seed or plugs like here in my (central Portugal) climate.
Planted deep and in troughs (so the water stays there for longer in the hotter months – not important in the winter months)
Sunny location
If it rains too heavy for too long in the winter months the onions will won’t do well and may even rot, make sure the water can drain away well if a lot of rain comes down
Really good fertilized soil (like lots n lots of compost &/or horse pooh), they like most of the onion/garlic family are hungry buggers. You will need to fertilize the soil after every onion crop.
If they bolt (look like they are going to seed), try cutting back the green
When growing from seed (which takes a long time, hence why people don’t often bother), grow seeds in rows in a shallow (about 1-2 cm) seed tray in well fertilized soil and then cover the seed try with a mini greenhouse or something similar. They need plenty of warmth to germinate. In the winter I put my under a mini greenhouse top and then in my big greenhouse. Then plant outside once they seem too big for the tray.
Don’t pull up your onions until they have either flopped over or all the green parts are brown. With white onions, the outer skin of the onions should of started to go the papery brown you see when you buy them in the shops.
Once you pull up your onions, let them dry out, hang them up away from full sun for a few weeks before storing them. To much dampness in the onions can make them go bad once stored.
I use some of the onion greens like spring onions in salads etc before harvesting the onions (waste not, want not)
I used to grow them in a huge patch by themselves, but now I put a row of onions every 4 or 5 rows of other vegetables. The onions seem to like it, but more so the other vegetables thrive like this. The onions (or anything from the onion family) prevent carrot fly on your carrots and a lot of butterflies laying their eggs on your cabbages etc too.
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