Growing onions

If you are thinking of sowing onion seeds in order to have tasty onions later in the year, then you will need to sow them now in a heated propagator, ready for planting out by the end of March. This is how champion onion growers manage to get large specimens for produce shows and exhibitions.

However, for beginners, it is much easier to grow onions from little bulbs which are known as “sets” and these should be planted out at the end of March or in April.

Before you plant onion sets, you will need to prepare a bed, making sure that the earth has been dug over thoroughly and weeded properly. Take away any large stones. Lightly press each set into the soil, in straight rows, so that the tips can be seen just protruding from the earth. If you want to grow large onions, then place the bulbs at a distance of 10cm apart. For smaller onions, you can grow them a little closer together. Cover the newly planted bulbs with netting to protect them from birds.

If you are planning on also growing carrots, then plant rows of onions in between the rows of carrots, as the onion smell may help to deter carrot fly.