I took this photo on Feb 5th, at this point I think almost all the onion seeds had germinated. I think I may have planted a little to many or maybe alot to many. The Prince storage onions are in the front and the Armador Shallots are behind.
This shot of the shallots was also taken on Feb 5th. It seems they like to keep their heads in the sand as you can see by the curls. Currently they look very similar, if they don't straighten up soon papa might have to give them some help.
Yesterday, Feb 10th I thinned the Prince onions as they were getting pretty unruly. I pulled about half of them out and trimmed the long sprouts a bit. They are just starting to form second leaves so I figure it was probably a good time to thin before they start bulking up.I have also decided that I am going to try some onion sets as well this season. I will look for either white or red onion sets and grow them along side the seeded onions. This way I can tell what does better or if there is any difference at all.
All in all it seems onions are pretty easy to grow from seed. Lets hope I am on the road to my dreams of massive onions this summer.
Hmm shallots from seed. I've never tried that before. Do they get big enough the first year?
ReplyDeleteI'll be looking for those massive onions from you.
ReplyDeleteLooking good, Dan!
ReplyDeleteEG
I had no luck with onion last year but plan to try them again this year. Your onion look like they are well on their way to becoming a yummy asset to dinner time!
ReplyDeleteWow, onions! I have never started onions from seed! It time to plant them already.
ReplyDeleteDaphne - I believe the shallots will grow one edible size bulb per plant the first year. You can then save some to replant the next year and they will multiple. It's the Prince onions I am hoping will grow large.
ReplyDeleteTina - lets hope it happens!
EG - Thanks EG
Skeeter - They are growing pretty fast. I did not have the best of luck with onions last year either. They were small and very strong tasting.
Organic Gardener - I have started them a few weeks early this year in hopes of getting larger bulbs, the bigger the plant the bigger the bulb. In zone 5 it is recommended to plant the seeds Feb 9th and transplant outside April 20th. I started the onions on Jan 21st.
I just started my onion seeds yesterday (at least the ones I have seeds for). Great idea starting them all in one pot. Mine are in the seed cell trays.
ReplyDeleteI must say starting onions from seed is the way to go. My onions from seed last year were much nicer than the ones from seed sets. Plus you can get a much more interesting variety.
Chiot's Run - Good luck with your onions.
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