Preferring young plants is becoming increasingly popular and sowing can begin as early as February. In the heated greenhouse or on the windowsill, onions can also be grown alongside other vegetable plants.
How can you successfully grow onions?
To grow onions, sow onion seeds at the end of February at 16-18°C in nutrient-rich soil and keep them moist. After 6-8 weeks, the young plants reach the “three-leaf stage” and can be released at the end of March.
Sow onions at the end of February
If the temperature in the greenhouse or in the bedroom is between 16 and 18 degrees, the conditions are favorable for sowing various vegetable seeds. Onion seeds can also be placed in the ground here in suitable containers.
- Fill the pots of a growing pallet (€13.00 on Amazon) with nutrient-rich soil.
- Press the soil well.
- Drill five to seven small holes in the soil with a chopstick.
- Put a seed in each hole.
- Cover the seed loosely.
- Water the seeds and keep the soil moist.
The first little plants sprout after about ten days. Six to eight weeks later, the young plants reach the “three-leaf stage”, which means that the third leaf develops.
Cultivating young onions
At the end of March/beginning of April, possibly a little later, the small bulbs can be planted out when their third leaf has developed. Now it's time to plant the young plants in a suitable place where they can develop into real bulbs undisturbed until autumn.
Location and soil
Onions like sandy, humus-rich and light soil. The optimal location should be sunny. It is advantageous if the soil is not freshly fertilized but has been prepared accordingly long before planting. Too much fertilizer would make the bulbs grow, but they would mainly develop leaves and no or only very small tubers.
Care
During the growth phase, regular watering must be ensured. In addition, any weeds that appear should be carefully weeded when loosening the soil.
Young onion plants are often attacked by the onion fly or the leek moth. So that the pests don't get a chance, the crop is covered with fine protective nets.
