Growing Onions from Seed

Give them a chill and stop the tears.  Cooling your onions and cutting into the root end last reduces the tear inducing impact of the onions sulfuric compounds. And consider improving the flavor and fun by growing your own onions from seed. 

Start by selecting onions suited to your location. Northern gardeners should grow long-day onions that start producing the bulbs during the longer, 14 hour days of midsummer.  Sweet and mild onions develop their bulbs during short days and are best suited to southern gardens.

Jump start the growing season by starting your onions indoors about 10 weeks before the plants will be moved outside.  Use a well drained sterile potting or seed starting mix.

Keep soil moist and grow seedlings in a sunny window or better yet under artificial lights. If the tops grow too tall and begin to flop, you can trim them with scissors.

Harden off the plants before moving them outdoors.

A bit more information: Onions are a good source of Vitamin C and fiber, as well as antioxidants that help prevent high blood pressure and some forms of cancer.  Go lightly when peeling the onion as most of the nutritional and health benefits are contained in the outer scales.

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planting planting-starting-new-plants vegetables-herbs-fruits seeds onions

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