Onions, Shallots and Garlic are some of the easiest things to grow in the veg garden. As there is barely a week in the year where onions are not used at some point in the kitchen, why not follow our easy step by step advice and try growing them for yourself.
A must have in the kitchen and incredibly easy to grow, onions are well worth the space in your garden or on the allotment. You won’t be disappointed and may even be surprised by the difference in quality and flavour to what is available from the supermarket.
How to grow great onions
1. Find the right spot for your onions
Onions like a sunny, sheltered site in well-drained soil. Plant onions sets 10cm apart in rows 30cm apart from October to mid-April (dependant on variety). Gently push the sets into soft, well-worked soil so that the tip is just showing, and firm the soil around them.
2. Water and feed your onions
Water if the weather is dry and give an occasional feed with a general liquid fertiliser. A light feed of high potassium fertiliser in June will help ripen the bulbs ready for storage. Stop watering and feeding once your onions have begun to gain some colour on the top, and remove any mulch or soil to expose the bulb to the sun.
3. Harvest your onions when ready
Onions can be harvested when the foliage turns yellow and starts to topple over. Leave for two to three weeks and then carefully lift with a garden fork. If you wish to store onions they must be firm, disease-free and then dried for two to three weeks, either laid out in the sun or in a shed if the weather is wet.
View our range of onions and shallots here
Last Updated on April 12, 2021 by Suttons Horticultural Team
