Starting Onions from Seed at My Farm
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, outside temperatures are still hovering in the 20s and 30s, but inside my main greenhouse, there is a lot of spring activity - my gardeners, Ryan and Wilmer, are busy cleaning, organizing and starting vegetables from seed in preparation for the coming growing season.
Onions started from seed generally grow larger and store longer. They can be planted closely together in seed starting trays, and because they are shallow-rooted, they can be pulled apart easily when ready for transplanting outdoors. Many of our seed trays and supplies are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds - we've been using Johnny's for years. Once planted, the onion seeds remain in the greenhouse until they’re moved to my vegetable garden. And by mid-summer, we will have lots and lots of beautiful, fat bulbs to harvest.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Johnny’s Selected Seeds, in Albion, Maine, carries hundreds of varieties of certified organic vegetable, herb, flower, and fruit seeds. We chose several onion varieties – both as loose seeds and as pelleted ones. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/
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- Seed starting trays come in all different sizes and depths. We use trays with shallow compartments for planting onion seeds. These trays and a lot of our supplies also come from Johnny’s.
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- Each of these trays has 200 square cells. Because I use a lot of onions – for cooking and for sharing with my family, we plant many trays of onion seeds.
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- Ryan fills the seed starting tray with potting mix and pats it down lightly into each compartment. The mix should be level with the top of the tray.
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- It’s best to use a pre-made seed starting mix that contains the proper amounts of vermiculite, perlite and peat moss. Seed starting mixes are available at garden supply stores.
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- To create a quarter-inch deep furrow in the middle of each compartment, Ryan presses two fingers gently into each cell.
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- This can be done pretty quickly, but you can also use the covered tip of a felt marker.
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- For multiple trays, Ryan places one tray over another and presses down lightly, so the bottom of one tray makes indentations in the soil-filled compartments of the other.
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- You can see the small indentations in each compartment – this is where the seeds will be planted.
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- The pellet coating on these seeds helps in seeing, handling, and sowing. It also reducing waste and the need for thinning the seeds later.
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- Ryan drops the pelleted onion seeds evenly into each compartment.
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- It is good to start larger onions from seed, so they can be harvested the same year. Smaller onions can be planted directly into the ground.
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- Ryan labels the seed markers and keeps them together with the matching containers or packets.
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- Wooden markers or popsicle sticks work well. Write the onion variety on one side and the date they were sown on the other. In this tray, Ryan will plant Sierra Blanca.
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- These onions are large, white-skinned onions with mild flavor and thick rings. They are great for salads, slices, onion rings, and frying. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Ryan also uses loose seeds. One to two seeds are dropped into each compartment and will be selectively thinned in a few weeks. This process eliminates the weaker sprout and prevents overcrowding, so seedlings don’t have any competition for soil nutrients or room to mature. In this tray – Walla Walla Sweet yellow onions.
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- This is a very popular, mild yellow variety from Walla Walla, Washington. It is not as big or sweet, but still milder and juicier than other onions. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- Once the seeds are dropped, Ryan adds an additional light layer of soil mix, so the seeds are completely covered. Insert the appropriate labels, so there’s no confusion later.
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- Be sure to do this carefully, so as not to move any of the seeds in the tray.
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- We grow yellow, red and white onions at the farm. Another variety we planted this year is Yankee.
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- Yankee onions are medium-large globe-shaped bulbs with good skins and healthy tops. (Photo from Johnny’s Selected Seeds)
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- This tray is filled with Patterson onion seeds – another long storage yellow onion.
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- Patterson onions are medium-large, blocky bulbs with dark yellow skin and thin necks that dry quickly.
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- When possible, prepare several trays in an assembly-line fashion, and then drop all the seeds. Doing this saves time and simplifies the process.
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- It’s also a good idea to keep a record of when seeds are sown, when they germinate, and when they are transplanted. These observations will help organize a schedule for the following year.
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- Fortunately, my greenhouse is large and can accommodate lots of seed starting. Ryan will continue to sow lots of seeds over the next few months.
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- After the trays are filled, Ryan moves them into the temperature controlled greenhouse where they will get lots of good light.
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- Soon, this entire table will be filled with seed trays.
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- Next, each seed tray gets a good drink of water. Ryan is using a super fine Fogg-it Nozzle for the hose. It is also from Johnny’s and provides a super soft mist in a conical spray pattern that is perfect for newly seeded trays.
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- Johnny’s seed tray domes hold in moisture and warmth for germination.
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- Finally, Ryan covers each of the trays with a dome, which will remain in place until the seeds have germinated. What are you doing to get ready for the planting season ahead? Share your comments – I always love hearing from you.
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