»How to plant and grow onions«
Onions are one of the most commonly used vegetables and many farmers get problems when growing them.
When growing onions, you can grow them from onion sets which are little hard onions though unfortunately the onion sets would have already been stressed and they easily bolt. People in less harsh environments can successfully grow inions from onion sets.
Onion growing tips
Start your onions from seed in a nursery or you can purchase onion seedlings as these give you a quick start as opposed to seeds. These give onions the best chance of survival.
Choose the correct variety for your location. Onion varieties come in three different varieties and the best one to plant depends on where you live. Onions can be short day, intermediate day and long day onions.
Plant your onions at the correct time and keep them from being stressed out. Prepare your nursery 68 days before the expected date of transplanting.
Management practices
Plant the onions in nice loose soils amended with compost in areas that receive direct sunlight.
Space most onions 4 inches in the rows and 8 inches between rows.
Plant the onions about an inch deep and feed the onions regularly ie feed them with an organic fertilizer high in phosphorous right after planting, 3 weeks later feed with fertilizer high in nitrogen.
Water your onions nice and deeply, harvest when most of the tops of the onions fall over.
Onions will always bolt in response to stress. During bolting, the centre stem of the onion elongates, thickens and flowers. Harvest and use bolted onions right away or let them produce seed.
After harvesting the onions, cure them to allow them store for several months.
After curing, you can trim the stem and the roots, and store the onions in a cool dry place.
