Onions go well with a variety of different dishes. Here's everything you need to know to start planting onions in your own garden.

Onions are one of the most popular vegetables

The onion (Allium cepa) is one of the most popular vegetables of all. It belongs to the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). Whether braised, fried or raw, onions are a must in many dishes, as they give every meal a special touch. Even if its origin cannot be clearly defined, it feels very comfortable in the temperate latitudes of Central Europe. We will show you how you can successfully grow onions yourself, what needs to be considered when caring for them and give step-by-step instructions for planting and harvesting onions.

Planting onions and sticking them correctly

Onions can also be propagated from seeds, but most gardeners stick their bulbs. This is more convenient and usually associated with more success. We explain what is important when sticking onions.

Put onions: the right location

Onions thrive best on loess and clay soil. The balanced nutrient balance, the high proportion of humus and the constant supply make this soil the perfect location. If you don't find optimal conditions in your garden for growing onions, you can work compost into your onion bed. It is particularly important that the soil is deeply loosened. The loosening stimulates soil life and aerates the deeper layers. The onions can unfold more easily this way.

Nutrient-rich soils are optimal

Tip: Would you like to grow onions in a tub or on the balcony? No problem! It is only important that the bucket is big enough so that new daughter bulbs can form.

Time to stick the onions

You shouldn't plant your onions before the end of April. The onion sets contain a lot of water and are therefore sensitive to cold. From the end of April, night frosts can be ruled out and the soil temperature is high enough to ensure rapid juvenile growth. Note: "Summer" varieties are usually planted in domestic gardens. These will,as described above, only planted in April. There are also winter varieties that can be planted as early as August. You can then harvest the first onions in late May.

Procedure for sticking onions

Before planting, the bed should be loosened up well. Plant your onion sets so deep that the base of the shoot just sticks out of the ground. The planting distances should be at least 15 cm in the row, leave a space of 25 cm between the rows. Tacking them neatly in rows will also make it easier to take care of your bulbs later (chopping weeds, etc.).

Equal spacing ensures equal-sized onions

Growing Onions: Quick Guide

  • Loosen soil; mix in compost if necessary (preferably in autumn!)
  • Sow onion seeds at the end of February / plant onion sets at the end of April
  • Plant the onions only so deep that the shoot base is at the surface
  • Row spacing 25 cm; Distance within the row at least 15 cm
  • Hop weeds regularly to prevent competition

Buy onions or propagate them yourself

Buy onion sets

Onion sets are the surest way to a bountiful onion harvest. You can buy onion sets in any well-stocked specialist shop or conveniently order them from various online mail order companies. Depending on the variety, you can buy a bag of 250 grams of onion sets for as little as €1.80.

Propagating your own onion sets

After the first year of cultivation you can propagate your freshly harvested onions yourself. Simply harvest and dry the tubers as previously described. Some onion varieties can also be propagated by division. To do this, cut through the tuber along the base of the shoot so that it is divided in the middle. It is important that both halves of the onion contain part of the shoot and root base, otherwise it cannot sprout.

The small daughter onions serve as onion sets in the following year

Note: Propagating commercially available kitchen onions is usually not very successful, since they have often been stored for a long time and also come from grafted varieties. When refining, high-yield varieties with a special taste are placed on a resistant base. Refining vegetables is possible at home, but involves a lot of effort and is not always crowned with success.

Propagating onions by seeds

Who accompany their bulbs from the beginning of germinationIf you want, you can also buy onion seeds. The variety is huge. A sachet of onion seeds is very affordable and is available from online retailers or well-stocked local retailers for as little as €0.80. Onion seeds can be sown directly in the garden in February or grown into small seedlings in pots beforehand.

Onions can also be grown from seeds

Tip: If you like it easy, you should buy onion sets. These are very affordable and usually promise greater harvest success!

Onion varieties: Variety for the garden and kitchen

There is a wide range of onion varieties. They can be roughly divided into kitchen onions and vegetable onions. We have put together a small selection of different varieties for you and explain the differences and special features:

Onions (rather small and spicy)

  • Tonda Musona: White variety; tasteful and keeps well
  • Rossa di Toscana: Traditional red variety from Italy; round shape; intense taste
  • Zittauer Gelbe: Proven onion variety; firm consistency; good flavor
  • Texas Early: late-ripening, yellow variety; larger onions; bountiful yields and good aroma

Onions (rather large and mild)

  • Exhibition: Lush Onion; aromatic; Onions weigh up to 1.5 kg
  • The Kelsae: English variety; very mild and large; Bumper harvest: 6 kg onion!
  • Alisa Craig: Also English variety; mild aroma; large onions (>700g)

For more onion varieties and facts, see our variety article here.

Caring for onions in your own garden

The onion itself is relatively easy to care for. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to a few things so that the onion harvest turns out well. We will tell you what is important when caring for onions.

Fertilize onions

Onions are light to medium consuming plants. Adding compost in autumn is a good way to enrich the soil with nutrients and have a positive effect on the structure of the soil. Subsequent application of fertilizer is then not necessary. Alternatively, a dose of primarily organic organic tomato fertilizer can also be applied in spring. The potassium it contains promotes good storability thanks to stable cell walls. It is important to incorporate the fertilizer well and cover it with soil, as too much organic matter directly on the surface can encourage the onion fly to appear.

Water the onions

Onions like it moderately moist. At theWhen watering onions, you should make sure that there is no waterlogging. Depending on the weather, regular watering at longer intervals is the best way to provide your bulbs with adequate water.

Harvesting and storing onions

A perennial favorite in the kitchen, the spicy onion is used in cooking all year round. We'll tell you how to harvest your onions and how to preserve and store them for the rest of the year.

Harvest Onions

The onions are ripe and storable from the beginning of August. No garden tools are required to harvest the onions. Simply pull your bulbs out of the ground by the leaves and spread them out side by side on the garden floor. Stored like this, the outer skins of the onions can dry for several days and thus become durable.

Drying after harvest preserves the onions

Important: Turn your onions regularly while drying!

Storing onions

Once the outer skins of the onions have dried, they can be stored. You can store your bulbs either hanging or lying flat. To hang bulbs, simply tie them together at the base of the leaves and hang in a dark, cool, dry place.

Note: Do not store onions next to potatoes! The potatoes give off a lot of moisture, which the dry onion skins easily absorb.

In our special article we explain how to stick onions and give expert tips.

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