How to Grow Onions and Shallots from planting sets.

Growing onions from sets.

This page has helpful tips on how to plant and grow onions from sets.

Here are some facts about growing onions.

• Onions need a sunny place to grow.

What is an onion set?

• An onion set is a small immature bulb which is especially for planting.

Are onion sets easier to grow than onion seeds ? Yes.

• When are onion sets ready to harvest as fully grown onions?

You can harvest onions in the months of July to September (early to late summer depending on variety that you have planted).

• Harvest Shallots mid-late July.

• How can you tell when they are ready to harvest?

The leaves/stems begin to turn yellow when they are ready to harvest.

The stems/leaves of the onions will topple-side ways when they are ready.

Note - as they grow shallots will form several shallots from the 'bulb' you plant -

this is normal so remember leave them to grow like that.

• Each shallot you planted grows into more them one shallot to harvest, how many each will produce is difficult to predict, as it depends on the growing conditions as well as other factors.

However each little onion 'bulb' that you plant will grow int a larger onion and will not split into more than one onion in the way shallots do. This means that each little onion grows into one bigger onion of a usable size.

So when you buy onions sets they just grow into bigger sized onions than the small bulbs that you plant - so you can tell roughly how many onions you will harvest when the crop has grown.

• Harvested onions can be stored and usually keep well for use at a later date.

Cooking using shallots and onions.

Onions and shallots form a useful part of our diet as well as adding flavour to our meals. Onions are rich in vitamins and minerals.

Shallots have a milder taste than onions - shallots are useful in lots of recipes they and can be roasted whole or used in the place of onions when you prefer a milder tastes in your recipes. Shallots can be chopped and used in the place of onions in a recipe if you want a milder taste.

When cooking with shallots - they usually caramelise nicely when you are cooking them and tend to burn less easily than onions - which if burnt or over heated can have a 'bitter taste'.

• Plant Shallot sets in March or if weather permits February.

You can plant shallot sets in February (in the UK )if the ground is not too cold or too wet if it is wait until March.

• Onion sets can be planted in March or April.

The sets sold for growing onions and shallots are especially produced to be disease free and are less likely to bolt/go to seed.

Each shallot 'bulb' you plant will produce up to ten separate shallot onions.

How to Plant Shallots.

• Loosen up the soil with a rake and prepare a shallow drill.
• Press one shallot into the drill with 15cm - 18cm. (6-7inches) between them with the tips just showing. have 25-30cm. (10-12" )between the rows

Water them in and keep them weed free.

People who grow shallot onions every year have their own preferences for planting distances and how they do this. Some people with clay soil plant on a ridge rather than in a drill.

Keep them weed free and replant if and when the birds pull them up in the first few weeks or cover/protect the 'bulbs' with something to prevent them pulling them out.

Planting onion sets in March and April.

Plant about 5-10 cm. (2-4 inches apart) and aprox. 2.5cm. ( 1 inch ) deep with just the tip showing.

Rows 25-30 cm (10-12) inches apart.

As above if necessary water and replant if pulled out of ground by birds or protect until established.

I have tried to grow onions by another planting method (when short of space and time) and this was to push 4 bulbs into one planting 'station' and as they grow they lean away from one another.

I am not sure that the crop was as 'bountiful' as if they had individual planting areas but it was quicker and easier for me.

If the soil is really dry as the onions and shallots are growing then water them - but do not over-water as they really do not need watering as often as seedlings do. Watch for signs of pests and disease - if they start to rot remove the affected bulbs and destroy them. Do not put plants affected by diseases on the compost heap.

Good Planting Site for Onions (ideal conditions) :

Sunny sheltered with moisture -retentive soil but with good drainage.

Try to avoid growing in the same area every year.

Avoid planting on freshly manured ground as it is thought this can lead to rotting.

 In the UK the type of onion sets you can plant in the autumn (usually late September) are called Japanese onions and one variety of these is called 'Senshyu' . Other onions sometimes available to pplant now are  Radar and Swift. Buy good quality onion sets from a reliable source.

It is best to grow these onions in free-draining soil and a sheltered position.

The advantage of planting in the autumn is that you get an earlier crop next year. However -

Some years planting onions to over winter proves more successful then others, possibly due to the type of weather that year.