Why growing onions from seed is BETTER than planting sets

[@eliandkate]

Another video that you guys may find useful and fun, how about I take you through my choice of seed trays and seed modules: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ_So42diMqlaM0

[@Tootnscoot]

A tip. When I was a kid I grew up partly on a big farm. We grew onions as one of our major crops. I noticed in the field that the onions always grew larger and tasted sweeter where an old barn had burned down and had old wood coals and ash mixed in the soil. It was such a difference that when we burned brush we'd collect the coals and spread them in the onion fields. I still to this day grow my onions with soil that I mix a little ash and a bunch of wood coals in

[@donnabrooks1173]

I have to grow short day here in North Carolina, USA.

[@EVERBEE_GARDENING]

When I sow my onion sets, a mysterious hand never appears with a lovely cup of hot tea, headed towards my direction. I'm switching over to onion seeds today! 😀

[@eliandkate]

Oh no… never???? Clearly your garden is faulty 😂

[@adam-oz1jo]

I find the root ball of onions is very easy to separate without damaging it so I start them in 4" cells and easily get 50+ onions per cell.. when it comes to planting either use a hose or bucket of water to wash the soil off then each individual onion should pull apart from the others. This method saved me a ton of room, basically get all my onions for the year in 3-4 cells.

[@eliandkate]

My plan too This worked a treat with my spring onions last year

[@stuknox7468]

Indeed so, I've sowed an entire packet in one tray and got a forest of seedings to plant out. As you say they tease apart so very easily, I lift the whole block from tray and place in a much larger water filled tray and they come free with the slightest of persuasion. I'll experiment splitting the packet between two trays this year just to see if there is any difference.

[@stuknox7468]

@@eliandkate Last year, following advice, I sowed 8-10 White Lisbon seeds in a pot every week from mid February, planted out as a single clump and got a succession of bunches all through until late Autumn with a few, now dormant, clumps left to overwinter for spring harvest. Succession planting works very well for Spring Onion.

[@eliandkate]

Would you believe I still have spring onions out there???

[@rosemarydavis9347]

What is a cell?

[@jimp4037]

Thank you so much for explaining the difference amongst the 3 onion types available. I always wondered about that. Thank you from Pennsylvania USA. Cheers!

[@eliandkate]

Now go grow lots of onions!! 😂

[@nancypparsons2818]

Picking the right type for your area is the key - great tip! I finally had success with onion seeds last year. I used flats similar to yours but just broadcast them instead of placing in rows. Ended up harvesting about 80 large onions from a 4x8 bed. Loved this video!

[@eliandkate]

Oh fab Nancy Fingers crossed I’m as successful as tou

[@hiddencreekgardensbethmcmi3720]

Watched ur channel for the first time today. I live in Texas. I am SO jealous of ur greenhouse!

[@eliandkate]

Hey Beth Welcome to the channel 😀

[@jamesarcher1957]

Eli i must compliment you on all of your videos. You have a very welcoming and friendly manner, your videos are really informative and presented in an entertaining fashion. Well done keep them coming. 👌👋😊

[@eliandkate]

Glad you’ve got something from them James 🥰

[@jamesarcher1957]

@@eliandkate I just think credit where it's due. Not enough commendation these days.👍😎

[@karenyhogan5196]

I found you and was amazed at your gardening skills, I am 76 and still learning from others in other parts of the world. Love your garden's and especially your greenhouse. Just bought one and loving it. Thank you for your knowledge of your own learning skills. Here I Ocean Shores, Washington state USA

[@eliandkate]

Yay so glad you found us Karen and perfect timing as well cause we will be kicking off the new season very soon

[@stuknox7468]

This will be my third year of growing onions. First year was a massive success with Ailsa Craig, huge onions which stored well into January and I froze a good amount before then to last through the following spring. Second year I planted Bedfordshire Champion which apparently store even better, harvest was ok but disappointing when measured against the previous year and I had to buy onions in December so it's back to Ailsa Craig this year, they seem to do much better in my Northumberland climate although the excessive heat last year may have been a factor. I just sprinkle the whole seed packet, 300+ seeds, in one tray, evenly but over the whole surface in mid February and, not having a greenhouse, leave them on a plant stand in the conservatory to germinate and grow on till I plant out in mid May, onion roots tease apart very easily without damage so seeding in separate modules seems a bit of a waste of space. I also largely ignore spacing guides on seed packets which, in the most part, seem to be more suitable for open planting where you need to be able to get in amongst the crop, in a raised bed I never need to stand in I plant much tighter getting over 160 bulbs in one 8'x4' bed, the rest of the seedlings go into pots very tightly spaced to pick as small salad/pickling onions. The info on longday/shortday onions should be useful to many, I only found out about that when researching which variety to sow for my first year, it surprised me. Everything I know about vegetable growing has been through KZbin and I owe a huge thanks to creators like yourself for providing a much appreciated knowledge resource.

[@eliandkate]

Oh that’s great to know. Looking forward to my harvests now. Liking your thinking on spacing 😂 I may copy you just to see

[@itsmeraz3008]

This is excellent! I've sprinkled about 60 seeds in a grape punnet container, and hoping that's enough to then transplant directly into the ground. Because I don't enjoy then having to transplant to other containers etc. This saves a heap of time!

[@eliandkate]

Me too Really hoping I can get away with it for as long as possible

[@JoyAdele68]

Not to mention the varieties of seed choices are endless! I enjoyed your video

[@marie-theresehayes6875]

Love the name Ailsa Craig! Brings back memories. We had a caravan in Girvan and spent many happy Summers there. Loved the boating pond! Also the subtitles on the video had a great time with Ailsa Craig….lots of connotations. Great video

[@eliandkate]

It was a holiday destination for us as kids too

[@GCAbleism158]

This popped up in my recommendations, and even though I am not a gardener, I found it engaging and enjoyable.

[@eliandkate]

Awww thank you Emily

[@suzycowan5072]

Thank you for explaining the "Short," and "Long" definitions when it comes to onions. I really like your small flats and I am going to look into getting some for myself. I like to scatter my seeds across the top of the soil tray and then lightly sprinkle more soil on top before patting it down to ensure seed-to-soil contact. I do not care for thinning or picking out which probably comes from my growing up in a poor household with a saying of "Waste Not, Want Not." So I have been known to pull the seedlings apart gently and pot them up or plant them straight into the garden. I do give a lot of produce away to family and friends and always have an open invitation to anyone who wants to come and manage my garden with me and receive produce and knowledge as payment. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. May God always Bless you with good health, prosperity, and a wonderful growing season. With love from -- ~SuzyJC-in Central-Southeastern-Ohio-USA_02.04.2024~

[@dottiea.2186]

New to your channel, Happy new year 👍❤️🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🇺🇸

[@eliandkate]

And to you Dottie

[@stellat.3268]

Thanks for your really informative Video!!! I love your shirt!! I live in Greece, so not only Scottish people are watching you! 🥰

[@eliandkate]

Awesome! Thank you! I hesitate to say... our shirt supplier deliver to Greece too 🤣🤣🤣 Where in Greece are you, if you don't mind me asking? My team mate is from Corfu

[@stephens9566]

I like the little scroll screen in the top left corner.

[@eliandkate]

Ha ha ha thank you Stephen That’s our heartbeat of the garden logo

[@robertevans8024]

I'm from Pennsylvania USA and about to start planting onion seeds, and this just popped up in my feed. Very interesting video. I really love your accent ! 😍

[@eliandkate]

Welcome to the channel Robert! I'm a bit overwhelmed by just how popular planting onion seeds seems to be. I didn't think it was really that interesting, but... I did realise that for me here in the Scotland, it felt really confusing once I started watching some of my favourite US folk talking about it - I don't think I've done the subject justice given I'm still trying to get to grips with all that kind of thing myself but hoping all you lovely peeps are forming the most awesome international community that makes a huge gardening brain out there.

[@OrganicMommaGA]

New subscriber from the southeastern USA here. I must say that hearing you tell us about the gardening tips and things is like my ears hearing a taste of family. One of my great-grans was Scottish and my Da used to tell me about tidbits of conversation or sayings of hers, always imitating her way of speaking. Anyway - I enjoyed this video and look forward to catching up on what I've missed. I did find it amazing that your summer sunrise is around 4:30am and sunset being as late as 10pm! I know American time is nutty though with "Daylight Saving Time" in Spring and Summer... I still think you get more total sunlight in Summer than we do. (Sunrise typically about 5:30am and sunset around 9:00pm, if I'm remembering correctly.)

[@eliandkate]

Scotland does get a heap of light in high summer (not as much as scandi countries) but we also get a lot of cloud so it tend to be diffused light and not bright sunshine

[@ashleydeane4890]

I love your accent! I could sit here and listen to you talk all day. 😊❤ I love that you’re sharing this information! I feel like it’s information that is not widely known or talked about and is so extremely helpful, especially for new gardeners. I wish I would have had this information last year when I attempted growing onions for the first time. I just found your channel today and I’m so glad I did! 😊 I’m excited to watch more of your videos. Thank you for sharing!

[@eliandkate]

Awwwww that’s brilliant Ashley Glad you found us So you going to try again this year?

[@ashleydeane4890]

@@eliandkate I am! 😊 I purchased some seeds and I also saw that my local feed store just got in some starts. I’m thinking about experimenting and trying a little bit of both this year.

[@eliandkate]

Sounds like a fab plan :)

[@barerfootgardener11464]

I'm in the northern area of NH in the states and it's still snow covered and in the 20's Fahrenheit. Getting ready to start planning for this year.

[@basicbaroque]

Thanks for growing Ailsa Craig. First time I've heard it pronounced correctly. I had no idea.

[@eliandkate]

Happy to help! 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

[@jimacheson4933]

Great video, clear explanation. The accent was a bonus!

[@eliandkate]

Thanks! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mags9536]

I've planted Ailsa Craig onions too this year. Fingers crossed we get a good harvest. My onions weren't good last year.

[@eliandkate]

This might be the year we both get heaps!!!!!!

[@susantillander2080]

I am so glad you said we could start seeds in potting mix. I don't want to pot-up my seedlings. I just want to let them grow in the same pot until I put plant them outside.

[@eliandkate]

Technically you can Susan But just be very careful with your watering. The reason we pot on is because excess compost (more than that little seedling has roots for) can act as a sump, it gets wet and doesn’t get used so the seedling is sitting in wet soil which rot it’s roots, encourage damping off etc So be very sparing with your watering until it grows

[@brendabrenda413]

I started with seeds a couple years ago and will never go back to sets! I’m in zone 5 in Canada and because they were starting to die in the house, I planted them outside as soon as I could. Despite getting a little snow and very cold weather, they did great by the end of my growing season! My ancestry is Scottish and I love listening to you speak! Someday I hope to get to Scotland.

[@eliandkate]

Hurrah so maybe I might get a fabby harvest this year??????

[@beverleysimmons7885]

From Southern, Ontario, Canada. Just found your channel. Enjoyed your explanations on onions. Simple and straightforward. Have a great day💝🇨🇦

[@eliandkate]

Awwww thanks Beverley Glad you enjoyed it

[@KimberlyGingrich]

Thank you! I was discouraged from doing it this way. But awesome video! I will be planting by seed.

[@eliandkate]

Oh no. I hate to hear anyone is being discouraged. Anything we can do to help get you feeling super excited and motivated just shout. 😍

[@lynn8524]

Thanks for taking the mystery out of starting onions from seeds. This was very helpful. I am definitely trying this. I love your accent by the way. I’m from the southern part of the United States. I have very hot, humid summer weather.

[@eliandkate]

Hey Lynn Lovely to have you as part of our wee community 😍😍😍

[@stephaniegee227]

Here from the US. I've never tried growing onion from seeds, but someone gave me some. So I'm going to give it a go!

[@eliandkate]

Go for it Stephanie…. New things are always worth a try

[@11Aradia11]

Wow, one of the best onion videos I have seen. Well done!

[@eliandkate]

Thanks Arcadia, glad it’s useful for folk

[@MizzDaisyMay]

Loved this video, first time I've come across you, great content :)

[@eliandkate]

Awww thanks MizzDaisyMay Lovely to have you with us 😍

[@EL-gu8fv]

Sound advice ! Happily subscribed. You're a breath of fresh air. To the point, informative and cheery😊

[@eliandkate]

Glad we made you smile 😁

[@jenbrown1078]

I just found your channel for the first time today! I totally enjoyed this video and look forward to delving into past videos. I live in the US (just outside Chicago) and our weather doesn't cooperate well with growing over winter unless I had a poly tunnel. Santa did not bring me a polytunnel 😐 ...bad Santa!

[@eliandkate]

I hope you sent him a bad review!!!!

[@karengemmill6205]

I grew Ailsa Craig onions last year and they were the best and biggest onions that I have ever grown. I’m in Canada but with Scottish “roots”, so perhaps that explains my success with them. Love your channel. Happy New Year!

[@eliandkate]

Ha ha ha maybe, it might be the trick

[@christinecrighton9118]

Pennsylvania here, delicious huge onion but not for long term storage here.

[@adysveggarden]

Hello Eli, Nice video, the pak choi is looking good in the background.

[@eliandkate]

We were just chatting today saying we need to get some of it used. I’ve got loads still

[@christiegrows2022]

I was thinking the same 😊

[@aoifestone8949]

I've been growing them for 3 or 4 years now and I only just noticed like a week ago when I was doing this year's seed inventory that I've been spelling it Alisa Craig!

[@eliandkate]

Oh no!!! But now you are “in the know”. Talking point at parties 😂😂😂

[@GardeningWarrior]

I have NEVER had any luck with sets except making beautiful onion greens. I am currently looking for the onion seeds I have already.

[@eliandkate]

Go for it. Loving your KZbin name 😍

[@GardeningWarrior]

@@eliandkate Thank you..I like your's too but that is because my middle name is Kate and my oldest child goes by Eli..so it is kind of ironic to her.

[@eliandkate]

Woohoooo 😂

[@novampires223]

Greetings from Oregon, I grow Alisa Craig every year from seed. They also keep until March and then I dry what’s left. My favorite onion ever!

[@novampires223]

I also water them nearly every day.. I save seeds from any that go to seed and plant them all in Jan. In May I replant in raised beds 4 inches apart.

[@eliandkate]

Oh great to hear. You’re filling me with confidence 😍

[@91210paige]

Those sets are better then I bought in 2 separate bags last year

[@eliandkate]

If it makes you feel any better Rob, my spring onions were a joke... I forgot what I'd planted where and my spring onions ended up as full bulbs.... Kate still laughs at me over it

[@sengas1]

Ive just started my onions from seed today 💖 can wait to follow you through the growing season

[@eliandkate]

woohooooo :D

[@apriljoamy]

Just found you. You are a great teacher!!!! I'm in the states and just moved way out in the country in Kentucky. Trying to learn everything I can about gardening. You are going to be my go to channel.

[@eliandkate]

Awww thank April Glad to have you with us 😍😍😍

[@kirstypollock6811]

I saw Charles Dowdings videos on onions in clumps too... and was impressed. I did hear Ailsa Craig don't store that well... But maybe that's in warmer climates. Curious to see how they do in their native land !🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@eliandkate]

I shall keep you guys up to date 😍

[@stuknox7468]

My Ailsa Craig onions stored pretty well hanging in strings from a dark cool garage rafter, they remained firm until early/mid January, I chopped and froze quite a few sometime around October when I realised I’d not get through them all by February which would be stretching it for storage, temperature where I live rarely goes over mid 20s centigrade in autumn.

[@acuriousvignette4524]

Thumbs up for the “window of Christmas” chocs 😂 love it Kate. I’m doing spring Onions this year Eli too. Great vid love Nat (Grunge_and_gardening)

[@eliandkate]

oh I need to get my spring onions sown, I keep forgetting - thanks for the reminder

[@acuriousvignette4524]

@@eliandkate No probs! Mine say sow March but I’m just going to have a go now and compare I think! Do a few successions.

[@eliandkate]

Yeah I do batches for succession growing too

[@freakygardener8033]

I love how you mentioned how the Internet is worldwide! I just found you about a week ago, and my favorite gardener is one of your neighbors,in northern England, while I am in the USA! He grows LOTS of different things, and yes, he says Eilsa Craig like you do. I do all my "gardening" in containers, so I was wondering how deep do the onions root? Everyone mentions to sow them very shallow, but nobody says how deep that they grow.

[@eliandkate]

Now there is a brilliant example of just how worldwide (makes the world a small place) the internet is... I'd never think of someone in England as a neighbour, to me that a whole other country away but yes... the internet makes the world smaller and just makes our gardens that little bit bigger :D Would you believe onions roots can go as deep as a metre???

[@joannc147]

Oh my, that is a looong day of sunshine in the summer ☀ On the other hand, I get an avg last frost of Apr 8 here in North Carolina. I grew red and white onions last summer - from sets. They looked hale and hearty with Lots of green growth. However, the mature onions were barely larger than the original sets. Harrumph 🤷🏻‍♀ The only onion seeds I found so far are Tokyo Long White Bunching Onions (scallions) with a 60 days to maturity cycle. Experimenting 👍🏻 Loved the Drama opening in this video!

[@eliandkate]

Yeah it doesn’t really warm up here (consistently) until June … booooo We get random mad days of 18c from April but it’s not reliable and easily be beautiful, sunny and hot during the day then frosty at night Just since you mention scallions… for fun… here in Scotland we say cybies (sigh-bees)

[@lmullens75]

Here in oklahoma, US, we are supposed to grow short day onions. My first year growing onion seeds, I didn’t know that. I grew Ailsa Craig & did really well with them. BUT I started them around Christmas!!! They did so well, but not like they probably do in Scotland. Anyway, I’m still going to plant some of them & try them out in the yard instead of just in the high tunnel where we have to use shade cloth… Glad your channel popped up! Great info! Not too slow for us older folks who have done this a while, but lots of simple info for newbies!

[@eliandkate]

Oh so glad it’s useful but I would 100% stick to something that’s worked for me Everyone thinks I know what I’m doing… but as I keep saying… I’m learning from experience and sharing my random thoughts 😀 I kill as much as I grow 😂😂😂😂

[@lmullens75]

@@eliandkate Same! If I can get 50% of what I start with seeds to make something, I feel like that’s a win! Lol. We had a crazy hot summer and extra hot and dry fall - worst since the dust bowl years of the 1930’s, so lots of people lost more than just strawberry plants. My husbands name is Craig, so we will always try to grow the Ailsa Craig onions. 😇

[@AndysGolfBlog]

Haven't watched the video yet but absolutely DELIGHTED to see over 10k views in 2 days. Smashing it, Eli! Keep up the good work!!

[@eliandkate]

Awwww thanks Andy 😍😍😍😍

[@johnlochness]

I've grown from both sets and seeds, seeds always seem to work better. When I lived near Inverness I grew Ailsa Craig from seed and had many huge crops. I start in a pot and plant out once they get to a good size.

[@eliandkate]

I’m hearing so many positive recommendations for Ailsa Craig I’m getting proper excited for these now

[@terencebarnett113]

From your Aussie cousin now you like growing onions my favourite we call poor mans onion grows like spring and it gets to certain size you get bulbets growing on upright green you pick these and they grow into there own plant and you use all parts,it also known as walking onions,plant them you always have onoins and can use the whole onions no waste bye for now.cheer terry

[@eliandkate]

Heya Terry Now I heard of those recently, I think they came up on one of those random google feeds…. I’m off to check them out now 😀

[@davidsdesign543]

Yay! This makes me so excited for the upcoming season as none of our onions came up last year... Looking forward to being part of the ride! :D

[@eliandkate]

Excellent Lots of fun ahead and hopefully lots of harvests too

[@babthooka]

Looking forwards to the updates.

[@eliandkate]

Me too Keep your fingers crossed for me 😂

[@babthooka]

@@eliandkate I will. Best of luck to the both of us ;) Last year I tried with tomatoes and cucmbers and peppers and a bit more - it did not go so well. Live and learn, I guess.

[@eliandkate]

100% experience is such an awesome tool for learning

[@frankbernard4637]

Excellent presentation.I started planting my onion seeds two years. The size and quality of the onions was so much better. I live in US. We grow short day onions in Oklahoma.

[@eliandkate]

Fingers crossed I’m as successful as you Frank

[@CityWideGardens]

Nj USA here…. I have to grow long day onions and this year I will be starting from seed!! Tried sets but never got any bigger… trial and error for sure…. Love your channel and you got a new sub with me!!

[@robertselvig8835]

I love finding new food growers thanks for the tips. PS we live in Lake City Florida

[@eliandkate]

welcome to the gang :D

[@uscitizen5656]

Georgia USA here. Just bought seeds for the Elsa Graig variety. Hoping I can get them to grow here. Thank you!

[@eliandkate]

Fingers crossed I’m actually quite surprised at just how many people outside Scotland already grow them

[@leonleese4919]

Very enlightening,well worth listening to, thanks.

[@stuknox7468]

Ailsa Craig is, so far, my favorite variety for quantity, not just of onion but also tomato, Ailsa Craig tomatoes seem to do very well outdoors in Northumberland (started in conservatory), last year I got something in excess of 40 kilo of good sized ripe tomatoes with about another 30+ kilo of green tomatoes which became delicious chutney and relish, all from 12 plants grown in a tight 4 plant by 3 plant block just 15 inches apart each way. I'm sure they would have produced even better under glass but I am sans greenhouse. Gave so many away, stored 8 kilo of delicious home made pasta sauce in preserve jars, ate so many tomato sandwiches and literally gallons of tomato soup and still there were so many which went to waste, I might get a lot of volunteer tomatoes this year as I don't think my compost heap got quite hot enough to kill off the seeds.

[@eliandkate]

ha ha ha if you want some of the videos from late summer last year I had the same issue with volunteers :D

[@andreahodson7031]

Great i have onion seeds, used sets last year though not that large and got 1 jar i was able to pickle. i did however get 6 jars of pickles beets and ate lots and drank lovely beet juice 😋

[@eliandkate]

I had a real thing for pickled onions when I was a kid. Yum

[@DaisyDebs]

Excellent onion growing lecture ! 🧅🧅🧅🧅Thoroughly enjoyed 😊

[@eliandkate]

Glad you enjoyed it Daisy

[@cryssbou7864]

*Canadian Here on the other side of the atlantic* Alisa Craig is my favorite yellow storage onion and always grows great where I am

[@eliandkate]

I’m here so many folk who are really happy with Ailsa Craig. It bodes well for me I think.

[@jocarson5310]

Thank you for such a through video! I have been thinking of starting onion seeds instead of starts and watching your video helped me make my decision!

[@eliandkate]

That’s fab to hear Jo Here’s hoping we all have amazing harvests this year

[@pennythompson4790]

Looking fwd to the monthly videosx

[@eliandkate]

Me too, still need to sort out what I’m going to put into them… I’m so behind on video planning

[@wendycash54]

I don't know if this was pointed out, but the reason that sets bolt is because onions are biennials and by growing sets you are in the second year of growth.

[@eliandkate]

:D very true.

[@donnavorce8856]

Thanks for the onion information! Lovely greenhouse and potting area you have there. I just found you today. I enjoyed your presentation so much. I start my own seeds and plant the little plants in the spring. Onions take forever to get going. About 10 weeks in the greenhouse for a tiny plant to develop here in mid-west US for homegrown starts. Ailsa Craig is widely available here in the US. One big onion costs about $1US. So for me a bed of 100 onions = One Hundred Dollars! Plus they're organic. And haven't been in a chemical sprayed warehouse where rodent killer is sprayed, as well as a host of other chemicals and lots of humans touching them. Growing green onions is super easy for new gardeners. Try those first. Let a few bulb up and see how it goes. A pack of 100 or so seeds cost about $4 here. So two big onions and you've got your investment back.

[@eliandkate]

😍 if you catch up on last seasons video you’ll see the adventure that was spring onions 😂😂😂😂 oh they bulbed up alright 😂😂😂

[@beybslifeintheus494]

nice planting

[@kettleisalwayson]

From Ballantrae and went to school in Girvan. Have Ailsa Craig tomatoe seeds and onion seeds for this year

[@eliandkate]

Hurrah Nothing like the feeling of a local variety is there?

[@kettleisalwayson]

@@eliandkate I live in Lancashire now but ❤ my local variety

[@carolinedenaro866]

I love your style!

[@eliandkate]

awww thanks :D

[@carolinedenaro866]

@@eliandkate I must have watched 4 hours of your videos! Great fun, informative, with a brain!!! Some of these people, on you tube don't really know what they are talking about, so glad I found you both! Sending warm blessings of love, Caroline

[@eliandkate]

Ha ha ha ok Caroline I have to ban you from that screen for the rest of today. You have a garden to look after ha ha ha Four hours…. What on earth did you watch? How far back did you go?

[@countrieboyz2009]

There is a farmer where I grew up that bred his own variety of onion, there's a few issues with that, the main one being it's hard to get them where I live now, even locally they sell out so fast my family there have difficulty getting them. If the crop fails, no one gets any of them. Another being you can't buy the seeds, sets, or starts. And the last one being I was raised on them so it's the one I want. I have 3 that started growing so I planted them, hopefully I can keep them alive long enough to get a few seeds from them. I won't sell any of the seeds due to them being his onions, but hopefully get enough to grow me a handful.

[@eliandkate]

Fingers crossed they come up great

[@captdifficulty6058]

Entertaining and informative video. Excellent explanation of long and short day onions which is what most people get wrong. So many seed companies don’t even list this key detail in their variety descriptions which can make seed shopping on the internet a challenge. Started my onion seeds here in East Texas very similar to your trays. I chose seed for the same reasons - more selection and less likely to bolt, in my experience. Cheers!

[@eliandkate]

Glad it was helpful and that I didn't completely mess up the explanation. It's such a weird thing to us here in the UK. We generally don't even think about it

[@suzannebazeghi5698]

THANKS FOR THE USFULL INFO FROM CANADA.

[@eliandkate]

Glad to help 😂

[@katherineb6102]

Just found you and thanks for the information. Here in the south east U.S. I've only ever grown onions from sets and mostly picked as scallions but I'm wanting to try full grown onions from seed

[@eliandkate]

Oh so it’s going to be an exciting year for us both Katherine Will be great to see how we do

[@bozerbrett7867]

Lots of good tips in your video! I'm in the U.S. and I've found through trial-and-error short day onions work best for me. The majority of my onions were bolting until I figured this out.

[@eliandkate]

Oh well done you It would have stumped me completely

[@kathryncraig6714]

Eli & Kate, I also grow Ailsa Craig onions from seed - they do great here in the Pacific NW. I plant as you've done, quite thickly in flats, & I don't thin them - they seem quite sturdy little starts, not fazed by crowding. Good luck!

[@eliandkate]

I’m only realising now just how popular these are, so many folk are growing them. Here to our bumper harvests 😂

[@francesbatycki404]

Excellent info. Thanks.

[@eliandkate]

Yay glad it’s useful

[@christinamoxon]

I'm going cheap this year as I've already invested quite a lot in the garden this past year or two. So I've been saving mushroom and berry/grape containers and yohurt pots for seeds and potting on young seedlings. Some of them already have holes, but if they don't it's nice and easy to put them in. I'm expecting my first raised trug/cold frame thing and my first heated propagator over the next few weeks so it's very exciting.

[@eliandkate]

Lots of places for planting!!!

[@melodylamour6123]

I'm in zone 10a, sw Florida. Last year was my 1st year gardening food and plants. I'm not having the best of luck with bunching onions (the only onions I've tried yet). The few ones that are growing are I am able to harvest the tops.

[@eliandkate]

One of the benefits of bunching onions is the choice to harvest as proper “spring onions) or to just harvest the greens so sounds like you’re doing fab 😍

[@sandrachristiansen1404]

I have some onion seeds leftover from last year so I think I will try starting them early. I've ordered more so I will do some succession planting this year. Last year was my first time gardening and our white, yellow and green onions were wonderful! But I'm already out of the cured bulbs. I canned some, pickled some with peppers and made the best tasting green onion powder. Thanks for all the tips! Love your channel, happy new year from Roseburg Oregon.

[@eliandkate]

Woah that success in your first year?!? I’m sooo jealous

[@TraineeHuman]

Great advice Eli. Love the seedbox decoration on the shelf xxx

[@eliandkate]

I’ll let you into a secret, but you can’t tell anyone….. it’s upside down. I put the label on upside down! But it’s ok, I sat yesterday and scapes it off and redid it…. To discover I put it on upside down again 😂😂😂😂😂

[@jcking6785]

@@eliandkate 😂🤣 You sound like me. I always say when I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right, it never fails that I get it wrong. 🥴

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂😂😂 oh that’s brilliant

[@ladyduffield]

Just found your channel! I live in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Great information!!

[@eliandkate]

Hey Laura Glad to have you with us 😀

[@diogenesegarden5152]

I’ve been growing onions from my own collected seeds for a few years now. I collect the ripe heads when they are ready, make sure they are nice and dry for storage and then sow them in a tray on the window sill until ready for planting. They are a bit more fiddly to plant out than sets, but way cheaper. I always sow more than I need as the seeds are free and I can give the rest away if needs be. I prefer a smaller onion, although last year’s were quite big even though we had such a hot dry summer on the south coast, but they were kept well watered from the 4000ltrs of IBCs we collected at the allotment over the winter. They also had a feed of comfrey tea quite regularly. I may try wood ash tea next year as I hear that alliums like that kind of thing also.

[@eliandkate]

Oh that’s brilliant that you have so many of your own seeds too. I’m tempted to try but I suspect I’ll be itchy to tidy up… will have to try hard

[@diogenesegarden5152]

@@eliandkate if you have any onions that have sprouted (or some spare sets) you could try planting them or moving them to a flower border to mature as the heads can look quite decorative (or put them in someone else’s garden😂). This would free up your veg beds. The first year I collected seed I spent ages cleaning and winnowing them so they looked like they were from a packet, but now I just roughly clean them off the stalks and store them in a tub. Then I just sow them in the tray and tease them apart when planting out.

[@eliandkate]

That’s genius I hadn’t thought of moving them

[@flamingdonut9456]

Very helpful. Was looking at onion sets and seeds today, funnily enough. First time trying, so very helpful video. Especially the fact of being able to transplant seedlings. Will grab some seeds tomorrow and give it a go! Cheers

[@eliandkate]

Oh fab, let me know how you get on?

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@eliandkate Will do. Now subbed, as I live in southern England, and always good to get UK info. Thanks for the help. 👍

[@eliandkate]

Glad to have you with us although I’ll constantly complain that your weather is better than mine 😂

[@flamingdonut9456]

@@eliandkate 🤣 True, although it's bucketing it down at present!

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@steverobinson5492]

Nice video......and absolutely love your accent!!!!

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂😂😂 Thank you!

[@jasonwoods4811]

Hope you and Kate had a great Christmas :D

[@eliandkate]

Just us and the cats and a mountain of cheese…. Perfect 😂😂😂

[@jasonwoods4811]

@@eliandkate Sounds awesome, Happy New Year :D

[@carolechamberlain1766]

Awesome video!!! I’m in Melbourne Florida USA. Thank you for all of tips & translations! 😊

[@eliandkate]

Glad it’s useful 😍

[@Anndixon2404]

I'm really hoping if I copy you and Steve (green side up ) my 2 favourite gardeners , I will have a wonderful gardening year as last year was a little bit disappointing. Thanks for all your hard work and tips xx. Ps my dad passed 4 years ago and your accents give me great comfort xxx

[@eliandkate]

Copy away😂 but remember… think about how things are for your garden and what you might need to tweak 😍

[@Anndixon2404]

@@eliandkate thanks I will I'm in Yorkshire so not too different I'm in a valley so don't get too much of the bad weather unlike Sheffield that's only half an hour down the road lol xx

[@eliandkate]

Yeah it’s amazing the differences. Steve gets it way colder than me apparently and he’s in the south!!!!! 😂😂😂

[@karentuzynski7525]

What wonderful information, thank you so much 🥰😇

[@eliandkate]

Awww glad you had fun

[@catfunksfabulousfinds]

Hello, First time here, great video Thank you! Hello from Oregon USA

[@eliandkate]

Lovely to have you with us Cat

[@justine2488]

I've done seeds this year as the lot bolted last year. Was sets too. Fingers crossed this works. Happy New year to you both.🙂

[@eliandkate]

We’ll keep everything crossed for you

[@jennyjohnson9012]

Hi Eli, I've grown my onions from sets for the last two years. Always Red Baron and Ailsa Craig with great success and put them in again in October and they're growing away nicely. I tried seeds at first but the germination was really poor. After watching this I'll give it another go I think. Thanks for all the tips.

[@eliandkate]

Hey Jenny Yeah I think germination is the biggie to think about with seeds I’ll let you know how I get in though

[@annak804]

Onion seeds need heat to germinate it's required for good germination.

[@christiegrows2022]

I always wondered about Ailsa Craig. I’ve seen other varieties of veg with the same name

[@eliandkate]

Yeah there are famous Ailsa Craig tomatoes 😍

[@sheilathomas8528]

Hi new to your channel, thanks for all the information you give. Will definitely give this ago. Thanks for sharing.

[@eliandkate]

Welcome to the wee community Sheila, lovely to have you.

[@annlockey8552]

Thank you for sharing I'm new her Hello 👋 ladt year I grew Ailsa Craig strawberrys, cute small and sweet strawberries 🍓 😍 I also still have onions in from last year they did seem to mind the -8 weather we had. Can't wait fir more updates x

[@eliandkate]

lets hope we don't see that -8 again. Fingers crossed for mild weather from now on

[@vanessaoconnor5000]

Thank you so much for this. I’m starting onions by seed for the first time in a latitude just a bit south of yours. I hope you’ll do another video when you transplant and harden off. ❤❤❤

[@eliandkate]

Mine are looking fab just now So glad I did this

[@lizatrue7543]

Great info! I've always planted sets and they bolt, now I know why. So, this year it will be seeds for me.

[@eliandkate]

Woohoooooooo

[@Whistlewalk]

So long day onions for us here on Vancouver Island. I was planning to start the onion seeds this week anyway, so its all good. Thank you for the clairification.

[@eliandkate]

Have a check locally, I’m not sure if Vancouver 😀

[@jamesmcdowell8441]

Excellent info 🎉 Thank you .

[@eliandkate]

😀 glad to help James

[@TruthAndLight4995]

I've never gotten big onions from seeds, but I will try again since sets are expensive. I bought 1 organic yellow onion from a store a week ago, and it cost $1.43 (USA). Definitely worthwhile to try growing my own.

[@eliandkate]

You can defo give it a try

[@rodnawilliams9398]

i am interested in learning about your seed incubators there and how to build them, do you have a video for that please

[@eliandkate]

It’s a vitopod heated propagator. This one is pretty big, you do get much smaller ones. Mine was bought from Greenhouse Sensation

[@ceepark114]

I began growing onions by sets, those little bulbs the garden centers have. Almost all of them bolted and sent up a flower head which means they don't last long. Then I switched to live small plants which only a few would bolt but cost the most money. This year I am going to try growing from seed indoors at the end of this month. Thanks for a great video.

[@eliandkate]

Oh let me know how you get on Cee. I’m watching mine obsessively

[@kimallard225]

Hi Eli. Found your channel today. Loved it, the onion seed video was so informative. I’m a new allotment gardener, just starting my second year. Last year was good even with the heat and early snow. I love the help and advice you give. Thank you. Regards Kim x

[@eliandkate]

Glad it was helpful Kim! Our channel is a fun friend in the garden type channel, occasionally I don't always do these tutorial type videos but I try to share any useful stuff I learn. :D