Putting the onion sets in the ground doesn't take long and usually promises a reliable yield. Every self-sufficient person should not miss out on this reliable method of growing onions in order to harvest the spicy bulb early in the year.
How do you set onion sets correctly?
To plant onion sets, prepare the soil by removing weeds and loosening it. Choose a sunny, airy spot in the garden. Stake winter bulbs between August and October and summer bulbs from the end of March. Make sure there is sufficient row spacing (25-30 cm) and bulb spacing (5-10 cm, depending on the variety). The tip of the onion set should still be sticking out of the soil. Keep the bed evenly moist and weed-free.
Making the right decision when selecting varieties
With the variety of varieties available in stores, there is definitely something for every taste. Basically it's about whether you prefer
- fine, spicier shallots,
- strong onions or even
- giant vegetable onions
would like to use in his kitchen. You also have to decide between winter and summer onion sets.
If you're not sure which onions you want to grow, try combining small quantities first. However, the different types of onions must not be placed next to each other in the garden because they do not get along well. There is nothing wrong with planting winter and summer onion sets in different places in the garden. In any case, preference should be given to resistant varieties that can survive a cool, damp summer without any damage.
Prepare the floor
Plan an onion bed into your garden design in good time. The soil there should first be cleared of weeds and loosened well. Digging with organic fertilizer is recommended well in advance of planting. For planting in spring, the beds should be prepared in autumn, under no circumstances immediately before the onion sets are planted in the ground.
Care should be taken not to place the onion sets in the same spot in the garden for the second time in a row. By the way, the onions leave behind well-loosened soil, so you can use them to improve the soil in desired places in the garden. Onions grow best in a sunny and airy place.
Prepare the onion sets
As a rule, the plug-in items purchased from specialist retailers (€5.00 on Amazon) are ready for use. However, if you grew the onion sets yourself from seeds last year, we recommend a little “heat treatment” before planting to prevent sprouting. About four weeks beforehand, the onion sets are kept at temperatures between 25 and 35 °C.
Onion sets are set in autumn or spring
Winter onions are planted between August and October, summer onions from the end of March. The only thing that needs to be ensured here is sufficient row spacing of 25-30 cm. The distance between the bulbs should be 5-10 cm, depending on the variety (note the instructions on the packaging!). The bulbs are not completely buried in the soil; a tip should still be visible. The beds with the planted onions should be kept evenly moist and weed-free.
Tips & Tricks
Put some onion sets in the lettuce beds between the individual lettuce plants. This helps keep the voracious snails away from fresh salad vegetables. Because snails don't like onions.