In many growing areas NOW (early January) is the time for planting onions from seed. This video covers the basics of planting onions from seed indoors.
Onion growing playlist : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4zzslvkscX3WNQVyNE87yxUDVN71vkJE
How to Grow Onions: https://youtu.be/czkkPRkS58A
How to Harvest & Cure Onions for Long Term Storage: https://youtu.be/l_kWpt_dACs
How to Grow Onions Over the Winter: https://youtu.be/L6e3HL0XHLo
00:00 Intro
00:23 Timing
01:15 Planting Onion Seeds
02:50 Care
04:07 Variety Selection
#zone6gardening #ohiogardening
40 Comments
Love that cap you have on, Jenna! And your German Shepard's cameo at the 7 second mark! I don't think that your union advice will help me though. I dunno, but i think that it is two months too late to plant from seeds in Texas. The breeders here promote Texas 1015 SuperSweet Onions, and those are supposed to be planted on or about October 15, hence the "1015." Most of your other videos do help me out. Thanks
I just sowed some Purplette onions a few days ago (along with some lettuce for my grow room) and will get my leeks started in a week or so once i get the seeds. Northern IL, 5a.
Hi Jenna, have you winter sown onions and or leeks?
I will be winter sowing next week in NW Oregon 🤞
Yup, I'm definitely doing this nowish😄
No onions started yet but I did start my leeks 2 days ago!
I'm just south of ft. Wayne. I wanna try growing onions this year so I'll start some this weekend. What kind are long day onions? I'm confused. I like sweet onions mainly.
Here on the west side of Indy and this video reminded me that I needed to get my stuff ready! I will be starting my onions right behind you! Thanks Jenna!
Organizing my seed starting room now, onions are my first seeds to start, followed by peppers and ground cherries! Most other things I wait til April.
I wonder if you are dehydrating or eating those tops
5B Upper Michigan. I never really thought about starting onions this early but I think I'll try it. Started them in April last year and was going to start earlier anyway.
I APPRECIATE the reminder!!! Thank you!
I'm in 9b CA. I direct sowed my short day onion seeds on Oct. 9. It's my first time planting them from seed. I have a question. They are growing great; however, I planted 2 in each hole and both germinated. What should I do? They are right next to each other. Also the greens are tall. should I prune the greens, as you did in the video, although they were direct sown? Thank you.
I'm in Ohio as well and want to try this with 2 liter bottles. I'm not sure how well they will do but i figured i'd give it a try. Last year was terrible but i also filled them bottles up with fertilizer and i think i burnt everything out. Appreciate your videos! Thanks
Hi Jenna, I am in zone 6a New Jersey and I'm planning to sow my onions seeds indoors, but was unsure when plant them. Thanks for tips regarding onions seeds. Have you ever plant Clancy potatoes seeds, If so do you have any advice?
Thank you for the reminder. Last year was the first time I grew onions, I think you solved my problem of small onions. I started my seeds to late and planted them to late, SW Ohio. I always look forward to your videos, thank you.
Good stuff and some big onions in the video!
Strange onion story for you. I had some left over sets from fall planting, so I put them in a raised bed not realizing that an artic blast was coming soon. Oops. So, I covered them with a net mesh and some leaves. On my first peek after the storm, I noticed a lot of pushed up bulbs and only one shoot. So, oh well, I thought, that is finished. I uncovered it all yesterday and had about 50 shoots. Transplanting them elsewhere to use the bed for something else. Another accidental experiment. 😉
Hi Jenna. Very good video. I'v never done the large onions from seed, only bunching type. I have got to try this based on your comment that they will actually catch up to the onion sets you can buy. Your tip on the fan is so correct. I have been using a fan on all my seedlings in the last few years in my small seed starting outdoor hoop greenhouse and have not had any issues with damping off diseases. But now it is confession time. Because of your great videos and enthusiasm I have a row of garlic planted, never done garlic, a small row of seed potatoes planted based on your video for the winter, and tomatoes growing in my small hoop greenhouse. You are killing me (LOL)😂😂because I generally take the late fall and early winter off for gardening. The tomatoes are now blooming and I have been shaking the plants for pollination, the garlic are coming up (I don't know if that is a good thing) and the potatoes are down there about 6 to 8 inches doing something. Now I have to try this on large onions. I am not sure about the seeds for onions where I live because once we get into late May early June it gets hot and my experience with onions is they shut down when it gets hot. We typically grow short days onions in eastern NC. But, I'm gonna try it. Thanks for your enthusiasm!
BIG THANKS for early heads up.I have my best crops (as of yet and you might teach me better) .My best results are putting the onion sets into my wife's flower planter in our sunroom and like them about 4 tall with roots a little longer so I can plant bulbs at surface buried the roots and they standing the next day.
I'm going to listen to your teaching and order some seeds today and your advice is usually spot on.
Thanks Gardener Lady
This year will be my second with the garden here in Strongsville Ohio. Will transplants so well in pots ? I have some large pots with soil in them covered with leaves that were used for herbs and tomato plants that I didn't have room for in the ground. I'm hoping to plant red onions and shallots this year. Cheers
Thank you Jenna! I somehow just … forgot? I think I'm still recovering from the "holidays". Ha Ok, I'm going to get started this weekend. Can't wait! I have 4 onion seed packs: 1) Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish (Long Day), 2) Walla Walla (LD), 3) Red Burgundy (SD – Hope this works out), 4) White Sweet Spanish (LD). I'm in a suburb of Chicago. Next thing is to build the station, bring in the rack, buy some lights, get some decent fertilizer (lower nitrogen higher phosphorus (bone meal maybe?). <Edit> Done. About 50 onions, 4 varieties. Should germinate by 1/14-ish.
Did you say you plant these outdoors in March? But your last frost is in May? I'm zone 5, last frost May 15th. There's no guarantee ground won't be frozen solid until late April. When do you think I should start my seed and do I plant outside even if there frost and possible snow?
I'm in Southeast WI. When should I start my seeds indoors?
We didn't grow onions last year because out freezer still had quite a few packages left. I like the info you just shared. I never tried starting onions early. I wold rather buy onions from a market than trying to grow them from sets lol. We just never really got any nice size from sets. Enjoyed your advice! Bunching Onions do very well up here in zone 4a. Take care!
I have a question. I live in 5b (Indiana), I have in onion seed: White Sweet Spanish, Texas Early Grano 502, Ailsa Craig, and Yellow Sweet Spanish. Should all these be started now? This is only my 2nd year planting a garden. We just bought a house in the country with land. The garden is 70' x 20'.
Best gardening channel I have found. I love that we are in the same zone. Thank you for the wealth of information you share!
Awesome! Zone 6a in NY! Will be starting my onion seeds today! Thanks for the reminder!!! ✌💗🌈🐢🌱🌻🐝
I'm in zone 5b in West Michigan and our snow tends to stick around for a long time. I'm definitely going to start onion seeds this year. They didn't grow very fast last year when I direct-sowed them. I'm just going to have to wait longer than I prefer. I'm so itching to grow! I do have my dwarf tomatoes growing, though.
Excellent video! You packed so much info into this video from start to finish of onion starting
I’m in Northern NH 4B. I have been starting onions for the last 3 years and get great onions. Actually they grew too big for me so I chose smaller bulb onions for this year. I start mine mid to late February and plant outside late April or first week in May. Our last frost date is around May 25th.
I am total crap with onions 🙁 i will now try this…… Fingers crossed
Do you plan on companion planting Tic Tac’s with the onions?
Watching from the UK. We have different varieties here but the methods are the same ! Traditional to sow onion seeds onBoxing Day(26 th December) here, so I’ve sown mine in seed trays in my greenhouse.
Thank you for the notification! All onion seeds started indoors -72 cells.
I saw this yesterday and felt you did this for me. 😀 However I actually did start my onions about 5 or 6 days ago. I'm thinking after watching your video that I should put them deeper in the soil. I basically sprinkled seed starting mix over them but I can see many seeds still sitting on top. I was thinking that I heard that onion seeds like light to germinate. Since you didn't say that I don't think that is correct.
I was out digging in the garden today. Yes, January 7 and the ground isn't frozen. It's kind of crazy. I worry about my garlic.
Anyway, watching this made me smile. I'm going with you were thinking of me when you sent this reminder, so thank you.
Hi Jenna, such a great inspiration you are and always explain things great. I'm in N.Y zone 6a gonna start my onion seeds tommorow!
I started my onions from seed today!
Thanks for the idea to trim the onion seedlings! Last year was my first year to successfully grow a few onions from seed (very few). Was the cell tray from Charles Dowding? It looked like it may be. Where did you find a drip tray to fit it? I ordered one of his cell trays last year & and regular size drip trays ALMOST fit it, but it just slightly too large & cracks the drip tray
Thanks, Jenna. Which variety do you like for storage type?
My planting date for onion seeds is March 06.