Onion Growing Guide

How to grow onions is something I've toyed around with for over a decade, trying to perfect the art of a good bulb onion. There are some nuances, but great onions just require a few considerations to get onions all year.
In this video we answer: how to grow bulb onions, how to cure onions, how to store onions, what to do with flowering onions, should I trim my onions, why trimming onions is not a great idea, onion varieties, short day, long day, intermediate day, day neutral.
Shoutout to these grower/contributors:
Browntown Organics: / browntown_organics
Gemüsegarten Hoxhohl: / gemuesegarten_hoxhohl
Les Essards: / fermelesessards
and John McCafferty / pleasant_river_produce
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[@notillgrowers]

Several commenters have asked about onion fertilization which I definitely overlooked in this video so thank you! You can sort of think of onions like "medium feeders" They don't require the nitrogen of a tomato but maybe need a little more than a carrot. What I usually recommend (if not following a nitrogenous cover crop) is about 1 inch to a half inch of a decent compost on the surface, lightly worked in. Onions are shallow rooted so the compost does not have to be deep in there. If all you have is, say, chicken manure or a really rich nitrogenous fertilizer, use about half that amount. If you prefer something like alfalfa meal or blood meal, just a light dusting should do. Onions honestly benefit a lot from being in the ground when the soil begins to wake up in the spring and we get that first big push of Co2 and coming out and Nitrogen being made available. So they don't need a ton of help from you, but I like the compost addition personally. Seems to make for happy plants 👍

[@rubengorospe939]

Hi ,I’m your new subscriber from Los Angeles California ,a small backyard gardener .

[@wytchwoodhomesteadandkenne5036]

I have bunny poop. Lots and lots and lots of bunny poop LOL. Not to mention quail and chicken

[@PotHeadDegree]

Thanks for all the work you put into teaching. I've been learning through you along with my own failures and occasional success. Hoping I can expand and learn more on marketing my food this season. I didn't get into growing food because I'm great at peopling though😅

[@tonyschmucker1979]

I can't help but smile and be impressed with this NERDS knowledge, sense of humor, and general appeal. What a gift.

[@babsoneverything3060]

Actually there is "1" good reason to trim onions. We live in a very windy area and because we are on a steep slope, and have to use overhead watering, if we don't trim, then our onions get bent over too quickly and basically stop growing. We found that if we trim when planting, we get stronger tops and have less risk of the tops getting bent over.

[@lesliehollands2689]

Wind break

[@trfyeomanfarmer]

This is great! Really like when you do the growing guides for specific crops.

[@jtsloth]

I don't know about everyone else, but I find myself using half a large onion, more often than needing the whole thing. More smaller bulbs is desirable in my household.

[@karenprenger1738]

Same! For that reason I plant closer together, 9 plants per square foot.

[@jtsloth]

@@karenprenger1738 9 per square. I like it!

[@lauraservey495]

You can just use the same onions, and then place the unused bottom in potting soil making sure to trim the onion flesh around to keep it from rotting and let it finish growing to flower and save the seeds. When food is scarce, people will pay for seeds.

[@laifnow]

More bang for your buck is always desirable 🎉 just use half or 1/4 and save the rest in a small container or on a saucer in the fridge

[@patheticpotato4545]

That is 100% valid. I my case however, my family is a bunch of onion FIENDS. If the recipe calls for 1 onion we might put 2 or 3. But that's just us lol

[@rockshoal4267]

It`s nice to see a real farmer and not a internet "celebrity" telling how to do it . I have 40yrs growing 5b Illinois .

[@FelixViehweider]

You are 100% right about keeping the onion beds weed free. They struggle with competition and the leafs get easily damaged if you pull lager, already entangled weeds. Ash works great as fertilizer because of the high potasium content and a high pH. Works for Onions and also all cabbage variants like kale, cauliflower, kohlrabi ...

[@pamalajjohnson9576]

Yes I use wood ash on all my onions, leeks, garlic, all under ground vegetables totally works and you have a higher PH of the soil.

[@TroyEagan]

Thank you for the "and that's just a dog". Gave me a good laugh.

[@steverobinson5492]

I know you guys have been at this for a fair amount of time. Yet the enthusiasm remains high and the info is always solid. Oh....and I highly recommend your book. Your awesome!! Thanks!!!...great work.

[@stevenmshantz]

Great video! I've been growing about 4000 onions per year for a local food pantry with pretty good success. Can you talk about how you plant live plants, specifically about how you make your holes, the hole size, and how you manage the long roots that are often reluctant to go completely in the hole. For making my holes, I use a 1" x 8" x 2' long board with two rows of ½" wooden dowels stuck into the board. The dowels are spaced on a 6" x 7" grid, and the ends are sharpened like a pencil to aid penetration. The board has a pipe sticking up as a handle. I walk down my path and... stomp, stomp, stomp. Each time I press the board into the soil, it makes 8 perfectly spaced holes, four across the bed and 2 down the bed. I plant one live plant per hole. I use a string to ensure straight rows, and this allows me to use my 6" stirrup on my wheel hoe while the plants are young and the leaves don't catch on the wheel hoe.

[@lindalinda-ie3hw]

i love the focus on the vital minutia making the most of time & labor.

[@cherylanon5791]

I start my onions in February indoors under lights, about 10 seeds per 6 pack (the large, 4 inch deep ones). Roots only get 4 inches deep. Plant out end of April or early May (snow has to melt first LOL) 5 rows 6 inches apart in 36 inch wide beds. Drag my trowel across the bed, put 5 plants in with roots laying sideways, then firm soil over roots as I make the next pass across bed. I have always trimmed the tops but might not next year after seeing this video.

[@matthewlivergood9624]

I trim the first leaves to control how tall the onions get. I may even trim the second leaves, but after that I stop trimming. I start in trays without cells. When I am ready to plant them I take a handful and pull the clump gently out of the tray, and then swish the roots around in a bucket of warm to slightly cool water, and that takes all the dirt out and makes it easier to count, which I do to estimate how much additional bed space I may need to plant all of them.

[@halbachfamily]

Really like these videos of diving deep into each crop breakdown!!🙌🏻 Keep them coming!!😁

[@lydiamashcka4362]

I have grown Cabernet here in San Diego and they do very well. I got the seeds from Botanical Interest and just followed the instructions, they were sweet and yummy.

[@outbackbreathing361]

Just wanted to say that you’re awesome. Love the science, smarts and dad jokes you bring into your videos. I always learn a bunch (ha, ha onion pun intended). Keep up the fantastic work. I always look forward to new videos coming out especially these crop specific guides.

[@RobinL4715]

Thanks for this! We plant short day here in FL and they went in the ground as started plants (mine from seed struggled) in early Nov. and are almost ready to be pulled. I have found red onions always do better in my garden. As a home gardener, it is a learning curve for sure!

[@charlenenagel7962]

Thank you! You are awesome Jessie!

[@pmk3479]

Awesome video, and super helpful. Would love a similar guide for Brussel sprouts! Having a hard time finding content for lower Midwest!

[@kayreynolds3801]

I grew Sturon in this way in 2022, (zone 9 UK) 3-4 onions in a clump spaced at 30cm and harvested some huge onions, the largest weighing in at 650g. I'll try closer spacing this year. Onions need lots of water during dry summers so to help retain moisture I applied a mulch of cut grass which seemed to work really well. Love your videos.

[@pbrezny]

Love the in depth crop vids J. Thx!

[@karenpage9383]

Loved this!!! Hope you continue through all the veggies!

[@nigelmccomb8106]

Excellent video as usual.👍

[@rogerahern]

Absolutely brilliant video. Great info. Thank you.

[@robinstephens6889]

Great information on trimming

[@LandOfJuncoville]

Best onion video I’ve watched so far!

[@THall-vi8cp]

Something important to add: Most crops can be started successfully under grow lights, and the recommended light cycle I've seen is often 14-16 hours light, 8-10 hours dark. Do not do this with onions. They will bulb up as seedlings. (Ask me how I know.)

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

So how many hrs?

[@janabandana4240]

Hi Joy. This is my first year of growing onions but I’m timing the amount of light that I give my onions to the amount of light that is in my yard at the time. So right now in my zone I’m getting about 10 1/2 hours of light per day and that’s what my timer is set to. As the days get longer. I’ll set my timer for longer days. We’ll see how it works.

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

@@janabandana4240 Thank you, so sensible and easy to forget👊

[@janabandana4240]

@@JoyoftheGardenandHome 😎

[@THall-vi8cp]

@@JoyoftheGardenandHome Sorry I didn't get back quickly. Jana is right. If you must grow under lights, then programming them to match your current daylight cycle is the best way to go about it. If you want to avoid having to reprogram timers, you can also plant in trays in a shady area outside, putting matching domes on top to keep in some heat, or use cold frames (even better). I switched to that because I have other seedlings under my grow lights and wouldn't be able to work the lights. So far it's worked well. Whether or not this will work depends on your climate, though. I live in Sacramento (Zone 8B) so I can plant onions outside in trays early and be fine.

[@ladycleanwaters]

Love your videos, not boring at all, very precise and informative! Keep it up!

[@DenSvaraTradgarden]

Great step by step instructions! The only thing I’m missing is information about the soil you grow them in, fertilizer and pest issues. (But maybe you don’t have pest issues, sometimes I feel like that’s just a very local problem on my farm…)

[@mikecrouse8761]

Great Job on the material and the humor.. Good Combo... Stay with it..!

[@poeticpursuits1332]

Oh wow, I am trying to do a ton of gardening and am in 6b KY too, your channel just became infinitely more valuable to me than I realized.

[@patriciaalber367]

Thanks! Lots of questions answered.

[@Jacques.Bodaire]

I have your book and really enjoy it. The crop specific section is very dear to me since not all of your other insights carry over to my setup. These deep dive videos are very dear.

[@isabelladavis1363]

Thank you for the great information

[@renatakulig2583]

Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge you are awesome 😊😊😊

[@myfrugalsolution]

This is a very in depth video and done really well. Loads of valuable information. Just subscribed. Thanks.

[@robertcordy3271]

My heart sings when I watch this video… thank you

[@gioknows]

The presentation of your videos is a joy to watch. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada 🍁

[@shammamurphy4172]

Thank you for the explanation on trimming! I’d never heard it until last year from a lovely older lady, I’ll be sure to share this video with her. Also, love the hat and sweatshirt, I wear them frequently, your book is just a wealth of information. Thanks for all you do!

[@stingray43550]

great video :) my experience with onions has been in SE Ohio pretty close to your part of the world and my favorite variety by far is Yellow of Parma, it’s a sweet onion that does store well compared to its counterparts… one issue that’s become really prevalent in my garden I wish was addressed is the onion root maggot, ever since this pest arrived in my garden I’ve lost more than half of all crops of leeks, onions and garlic I’ve tried… as always thanks for all the content and looking forward to following your work for a long time

[@pfurr281]

New to your channel am learning way more from you especially on sweet potatoes this was really good helped me a lot,keep up the great work.From NC

[@PaleoKids]

Great! Very helpful. Thank you.

[@adventurecreations3214]

Excellent.

[@cherylbertolini3140]

Great Video thanks for the information, im growing onions for the first time this year from seeds hopefully all goes well.

[@HablemosDelHuerto]

Great guide. 👍👍👍

[@billherrick3569]

Great content as usual. Thank you.

[@notillgrowers]

🙌

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

Lovely stuff I hope that my onions are good this year. I’m growing them from seed for the 1st time this year

[@shellydennis3999]

You are so entertaining!

[@lindalinda-ie3hw]

love the clowning & it helps the info sink in.

[@aileensmith3062]

Being "fluent" in Latin does have its advantages. Another great video and Thank you!

[@firegirl441fromga6]

I live in one of the “approved” counties in Georgia that the dirt is right for planting and harvesting the yellow granex onion and end results are true “Vidalia Sweet onions”. Due to the excessive rains and temperatures the past several years we have had a great deal of problems with bolting. Growing a large field just makes row covers virtually impossible. This year looks to be much improved 😊Thanks for this great video!

[@mikebarocco8465]

Your videos are so very informative (and fun!). GREAT video about onion growing. I grow them myself. BTW I ordered "The Living Soil Handbook" last week and read the whole book in about 4 sittings. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Happy gardening from South Louisiana!

[@clarkansas6590]

Good job

[@roccoconte2960]

I'm in Boston I plant plants the first of April ,I use a grid of 6inch centers and mulch right away Really enjoy your vids first discovered you about three weeks ago keep up the good work.

[@jillhumphrys8073]

I'm sorry i have just now discovered your videos. I love that you nerd out on gardening etc. I am accused of that all the time. Makes me believe all the things you say! Lol

[@scottbaruth9041]

Zone 6a. I plant my onions in woven reusable plastic, single plants, 6x6 centers, and row spacing. The holes in the plastic are cut small with a hand torch, around an inch. I dibbel?the holes and trim the roots to about an inch (to fit through the small holes and drop good into the dirt below the plastic) and water them in. Great results, low weed pressure. I also trim the tops, or the Ks wind will do that for me anyway. Your onion starting was spot on. Very nice video!

[@italiana626sc]

Perfect timing! Attempting onions for the first time this year (home garden zone 8b). Growing from seed. Really appreciate the info here!

[@monstergardens5347]

Hi! I used to grow in 8b (Central Texas, USA) and would plant my sets about now for a June harvest. Are you doing sets or seeds?

[@italiana626sc]

@@monstergardens5347 Seeds. They're growing, just gotta keep them alive until it's time to transplant outside.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

I love onions!!!

[@kristicornwell6852]

I trimmed my tops for the first time last year and definitely got less productivity and size. So I agree with your assessment. Other years were much better.

[@VictoriousGardenosaurus]

First time with true onions this year. Starting some from seeds, some from store bought bulbs

[@MrBwalendy]

Man, you are like a GOD to me. Thanks for your hard work and thanks for how well you share your knowledge. You have a very high quality of character. Salt of the Earth.

[@phungktk533]

Awesome advice re: not trimming the tops. Saves me a step.

[@sardar5150]

Thank you! I am starting my onions this week. Just having the patience to untangle them and plant can drive me batty. I'm going to be better this year. Im in 5b Iowa so long day varieties work best. This year starting Australian Brown and Red Wethersfield. I believe Australian Brown is considered intermediate. I'm just a backyard gardener, we eat a lot of onions. 😁 thank you Jesse!

[@uncommoncents2152]

That time of the year again

[@nextchancenow7153]

Just started some varieties from seed for the first year. Feel like I should have watched this first 😂😂

[@deborahcornell5304]

Thank you ever so much. I've tried growing onions from seed and didn't do so very well. Now hopefully I know better, and will grow better. Thanks again.

[@GimmeADream]

Must admit, I learned that trimming the tops off encourages the growth of more leaves that are attached to rings of the onion. Last August I trimmed for the first time. I had an amazing onion harvest for the first time ever and I have been growing onions for many years. I don't know about the research or studies but I probably will trim at least half of the onions this year.

[@ramz1455]

Trimming has never worked out for me, this year I just started them from seed early around January, and planted them when they were thick as a pencil. Fertilized and watered them regularly and left them alone. And the result was palm to soft ball size onions.

[@shawnmurphy282]

Planting Yellow of Parma and Australian brown from Baker Creek

[@lifeandliberty0172]

Good vid as always. Regarding trimming starts when transplanting, I've never done it with bulb size in mind, but from observing that the green tops at transplant often yellow and die, then new growth comes up as they settle in and get roots really going. In my experience trimming the tops greatly speeds this transition. I have to add, this is with "store bought" starts, so the tops may already be stressed, and I also almost never trim roots unless they're clearly dried out too much.

[@matprather5833]

I have an do trim my onions for 2 reasons. The one was because everyone said to becasue new leaves cause more layers making bigger bulbs. The second reason even if the first isn't true, is that they don't flop over and touch the ground. We have something that haven't figured out that will take the tops of the onion plant and pull it underground and eventually pulling the plant out or dragging the onions around the bed. So I have had to replant hundreds of onions each day until they got established. Now I make sure the tops are touching the soil.

[@lenamccubbin1068]

I’ve had birds pull the sets (bulbs) out of the ground unless they were completely covered with soil. Once the bulb was rooted in, that stoped.

[@manolopapas]

Great. Thank you

[@rockshoal4267]

You are correct. Onions only make ten or so leaves. trimming leaves cuts back on their limited photosynthesis , causing smaller bulbs. Also, certain varieties are grown for set production. Other varieties are grown from seed for plant production.

[@cuznclive2236]

Your method of teaching fits my head perfectly; it's all the little things and attention to specific fail/success scenarios... but how did I know you could juggle before seeing you juggle? Hmmm. Appreciated!

[@AlchemyAles]

Thank God someone questioned this onion-trimming old wise tale!

[@je-fq7ve]

I like having kale starts ready to put in when the onions come out. i put them at much closer spacing because they wont be growing for to long before winter puts them to sleep. I have been really happy with an oat pea mix (heavy on the peas) cover crop for alliums.

[@donpadawan]

KY 6b : growing Candy, wallawalla, Utah yellow Spanish. Great video!!!!

[@wales123100]

I'm in the UK alot of the old time allotment growers trim onion roots it encourages new strong roots to form

[@ashleycampbell8767]

Thanks!

[@notillgrowers]

Amazing, Thank YOU!

[@jaarfarms9932]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@NicoleMolloy]

i trimmed my onions a few years ago and they did terrible!! now i know why LOL thank you!!

[@katrinagarland5219]

You are hilarious love your channel!

[@lindasowash7054]

I grew long day onion from seed for the first time last year. I’m in zone 6b as well. I put the the youngsters in the ground about March 18th and we got some pretty frigid weather with snow and lost 1/2 of the. I won’t plant them out this year until 4/1. I grew some awesome huge onions. I still have about 10 pounds left. Is there anything better than gardening? I think not. Love your videos.

[@tabskini2188]

Love the idea of growing them in blocks of 4 or so, I bet with spacing like this, weed management will be much easier.

[@rhondamoffit6490]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[@stropefarmsllc7630]

I’m going to try soil blocks with onions this year do you I can use a hand held 20 for them they are 3/4 by 3/4 awesome videos even though I been growing for quite some time now I still use your videos as a reference and I learn something new keep up the good work love your book

[@misterspangler]

I used the 2 inch soil blocks for onions last year with 4-5 seeds per block, and now I’m wondering if that was a waste of soil if you’ve been successful with the 35 blocker, which I also own. Also, did you mention how many weeks before transplanting?

[@sarahstafford4346]

Thank you for all of your knowledge and the time you take to share. I know you said you do not trim them when transplanting but do you trim the tops of the onion while they are growing? I've been told this helps to produce large bulbs.

[@Cherryparfait41]

I’ve been determined to figure out a good growing practice for my own consumption. I’ll definitely try them in soil blocks next year. Moving to seed was the ticket! I’ve trimmed and got great yield. My question is, being in nearly the same climate as you (southern Ohio) and having to start them indoors, I’m curious if I need to limit light for them in the early stages. Rolling them out when weather permits. Also, trying hard to not let them get the constant shift of freeze and thaw once planted out. I only had a few bolt last year. I started in January this year…my plants are big already. Bigger than what I normally plant out. Happy about it, yet intrepid they’ll stay nice till 3rd week in March. Still experimenting!

[@Vicariously_gifted]

Dutch folks I work for break the tops off first couple weeks into aug. Huge onions. Zone 5 canada

[@hillfarm7044]

we have never trimmed our onions, and always have huge bulbs. We don't have a lot of greenhouse space, so we broadcast seed in a box like microgreens. Planting can be tedious, or not depending on your attitude. In rough years, with little rain after planting, the tall tip may die back, but the growth center continues on. I was always more afraid of disease entering, so never dared trim. we have heavy clay soil, and the alliums thrive. walla walla sweet onions are the favorite.

[@Habibie-vi4fv]

Thank you for a spectacular and educational tutorial video on Onion Growing Guide. I have a question: Is it wise to cut the stalks (for consumption) from the bulbs right after harvesting and before the curing process?

[@dreamingrightnow1174]

Helpful info, thx. Thoughts on nutrients/soil and 'ringing in'?

[@Gardeningandstuffwithholly]

This has been a very frustrating crop for me. Thank you for the tips.

[@TracyIsInTx]

Thank you great tips. First year grower Zone 8b Texas

[@monstergardens5347]

I loved growing onions down there! Enjoy.

[@59kuphoff]

One mistake I made was planting the onion plants too deep. That greatly reduced the size of the bulbs. Basically only the roots need to be underground.

[@patrickmortenson4266]

On onion storage.. You may need to store onions somewhere that does not have high humidity. In the past we had fungal issues when we stored onions in a shed through the winter. We don't get super cold but we have high humidity. I had really good ventilation. The onions were in 40 lb mesh bags on racks with a fan circulating air.. but the onions still got fungus on their skins because of the high humidity.

[@Rymorin4]

I did the soil blocks last season and got too many small-medium onions. I will sow them in open 10x20 flats this year 200 seeds per tray. Then singulate and plant at 4” spacing 3 rows.

[@wudangmtn]

Great info, thanks! I live in north west NC, can I transplant later than March to avoid the double freeze bolt thingy?

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

Thanks for the crop-specific videos. Much appreciated. I've heard that the onions need "side dressing" halfway through the growing season, because they are heavy feeders. Didn't see that you do that. Could you comment, please, Farmer Jesse?

[@tolbaszy8067]

Great video! I didn't think you were playing with your food, I thought that was a Ringling Brothers onion air drying technique. Clown on!

[@JMo268]

2 years ago we bought candy onions which weren't specific for storage. But they stored great all through winter. Last year we got a specific white onion variety that was advertised as a storage onion. They all rotted by late fall and were a total loss. Both varieties were from Johnny's.

[@t4cchi]

What about overwintering a Short Day onion in the north? would that help the bulb form earlier in the spring? right now i have Long day (because "they" say so) but i have to wait until June almost to get a bulb...