How to Plant and Take Care of Onions at Home — Easy and Useful Tips

Onions are one of the most versatile and rich ingredients you can use to cook as they are perfect for salads, sandwiches, soups, and many more meals.

For some people, this vegetable is simply indispensable, which is why they plant, grow, and harvest their own onions. The best part is that it's relatively easy to do it, so pretty much everyone can have the type of onion they want in their garden!

There are three ways in which you can plant your onions. You can start with either seeds, sets, or transplants.

GROW ONIONS WITH SEEDS

If you go for the seeds, the best thing you can do is start your seedlings indoors. Simply place them directly into your garden and cover them with approximately one-fourth inch of soil. They are very likely to sprout seven to ten days later.

As per the perfect time to pull them from the soil, it depends on what you want them for. If you're planning to use them as green onions or scallions, then you better pull them between the eighth and tenth week.

However, if you want the bulbs to grow as much as possible, you should plant them with enough space to ensure bulb expansion. Due to all the time you have to wait to see the results, this is the least recommended way to plant onions.

GROW ONIONS WITH SETS

Most experienced gardeners prefer to grow their onions using sets as they are easier to plant and can be harvested faster when compared to seeds. In short, sets are immature, dry onion bulbs that were grown the previous year.

To plant them, simply push them into damp soil and cover everything but their top so that they can grow easier. In most cases, onion sets are sold without a variety name, which means that if you want to know the type of onion you are growing, choose the seeds.

On the downside, sets are more likely to send up a flower stalk prematurely, also known as bolting.

GROW ONIONS WITH TRANSPLANTS

Most first-timers prefer to grow onions using transplants, which are seedlings from the current growing season. The best feature of this method is that bulbs are formed in a short time (usually 65 days or less).

To plant them successfully, you need to place them into the soil at about one inch deep. If planted deeper, they are less likely to produce good bulbs. It is important to mention that onion transplants should be planted as soon as possible for better results.

That's pretty much all you need to know to start growing your own onions! If you want to learn more about the process, though, check this video. You could also learn how to plant lavender!