Author Topic: Planting Onions (Read 1850 times)

Odin · « **on:** December 01, 2012, 06:56:52 pm »

Got an order for as many onions as I can grow.

Well that is the easy bit, question is how ? Got an area upto 40 yard X 30 yard. Cultivating and preping is not a problem, but planting sets one at once with a braddel sounds back breaking.

Any suggestions please for planting sets to a large area

MAK · « **Reply #1 on:** December 01, 2012, 07:01:33 pm »

Sorry but absoluteley none - planting mine was dull but picking them up and drying them then hanging etc seemed to go on for ever. Worth it though.
Do share if you find a good planting technique.

RUSTYME · « **Reply #2 on:** December 01, 2012, 08:42:14 pm »

Sow seeds !

Ina · « **Reply #3 on:** December 01, 2012, 09:41:30 pm »

Spread it out! Plant half now, and half in spring. That way one year I managed to have onions all year round...

Odin · « **Reply #4 on:** December 02, 2012, 07:44:46 am »

Going to struggle with seeds with the ground being to wet I have not been able to work a fine tilth. However I reckon its the only way. Just pray for a dry spell.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #5 on:** December 02, 2012, 12:28:14 pm »

I've found the only way with seeds is to plant a few each in modules then plant them out, which is even more back breaking than planting sets. They do grow perfectly well though in groups of up to 5 and still keep their shape, although the group needs more space than a single plant.

I mainly use sets in a bed about 4' wide by 30' long - tiny by comparison to your area. It's my knees which really suffer so I wear knee pads and kneel on a board so as not to compact the soil unevenly - onions like firm soil and the board compacts it evenly as I work.

I really don't see an alternative to getting right down there and planting the sets one by one - which is probably why the person who has offered to buy your crop is happy to pay you to do the work.

Maybe it's worth getting a HelpXer to do the planting - they have strong backs and knees

On your scale getting in specialist equipment would be too expensive. I have no idea what machinery they use on a commercial scale, but there must be something. I don't know of any gadget designed for the kitchen gardener - it was probably the pot boy's job in the Victorian Kitchen Garden