Planting onions is relatively easy work and can usually be done by garden novices. Since the bulbs do not make great demands on the soil and the care required is limited, you can always count on a good duck.
Growing onions is pretty straightforward
location and soil
Onions love a sunny spot where the wind blows through. The soil should be slightly sandy, well-drained, and full of nutrients. To achieve this, a dose of compost can be worked into the soil before sowing. The onions do not like artificial fertilizers or even fresh manure at all.
If barn manure is still to be processed, this must be done in autumn of the previous year. This allows the manure to rot well over the winter months. In spring, about two weeks before sowing, dig up again to the depth of a spade.
Sowing step by step
If the bed is weed-free, fertilized and dug up, the onions can be sown. The easiest way is to cultivate the onions from the end of March using onion sets.
- Prepare the tools needed for sowing: a planting string and a planting stick, as well as the basket with the onion sets.
- Mark a straight row in the bed with the planting string.
- Drill small holes for the bulbs along the string with the plant stick.
- The distance between the individual bulbs should be at least 10 cm so that the tubers can grow well.
- Put the root end of the onion so deep in the ground that only about a third of the onion is sticking out.
- Offset the planting cord by 20 cm and start pre-drilling the holes for the second row.
- Water the freshly sown onions generously.
Growing annual onions from seed
Onion seeds can be cultivated in good potting soil in the cold frame. The seeds are also sown in rows 20 cm apart. The grains go about 1 cm deep into the soil. When the first tubes form (late April/early May), the small bulbs can be transplanted outdoors. They should be ready to harvest in September if growing conditions are good.