Onions are a simple, fuss-free crop to grow and will store well throughout the winter. Although they take a while to grow, they require very little effort and you can't beat a large braid of home-grown onions to use throughout the winter.

Growing calendar
Sow outdoors (seed)	Mar - mid Apr
Plant out/transplant (sets)	Mar - mid Apr
Harvest	Mid Jul - Sep

How to grow onions

Bulb onions can be grown from seed or from small onions, called bulbs or 'sets'. If you're growing onions from seed, sow the onion seed 1.5cm deep in rows 15-20cm apart. Thin the seedlings to 5-10cm apart. To grow from bulbs, plant the sets 5-10cm apart in rows 15-20cm apart.

Carefully remove weeds by hand. Water the plants in dry weather, stopping once the bulbs have swollen.

Harvesting and using onions

Dig up the onion bulbs on a dry day around two weeks after the leaves turn yellow and topple over. Onions are easiest to harvest if you loosen them with a hand fork. Leave the bulbs to dry out in the sun before storing. Plaiting or braiding onions is a good space-saving way to store them.

Tips on growing onions

Break off any flower stems (scapes) that appear. The softer part of the scapes are delicious!

Growing notes
Difficulty	Easy
Germination time	21 days
Average time to harvest	20 weeks
Equipment needed	None
Average plant size	30cm tall, 10cm wide
Family group to grow with	Alliaceae: garlic, shallot
Seed saving notes	2 - Annual, can cross-pollinate