Seed or sets?

[sprout]

If you mean how far apart do I plant each clump, then the answer is six to nine inches

Thanks Monika, I'll do that with my overwintering ones - will get a high yield your way I hope

[Dopolous]

Thanks everyone for all of your help, I think I will try seeds next year as a first. If I do not get on with it there are always sets again the following year!!

[Chantal]

You could always do as I did this year, as I was very cautious about seeds and grow some of each. Having had such success with seeds I'm not bothing again with sets, but for my own peace of mind, when the seedlings were like blades of grass, putting in the sets was a good thing.

[Johnboy]

Hi Sprout,
If you want to grow in bunches then that is fine but I think to sow umpteen in the modules is not really the best way to achieve this. Onions have a considerably poor germination rate and by sowing in individual modules and then planting out in clumps of established plants will give you and the onions a better chance of achieving your goal.
Grown in individual modules you have the chance to select those which are growing best and plant in whatever pattern you desire. I have seen Onions planted out in a good old Domino 5 pattern giving each onion about 3 inches to grow and they made a super crop of varying sizes.

[sprout]

It will be a first for me sowing in modules Johnboy so these views from experienced folk like you are really helpful. Two questions then:

How many seeds do you allow per module to get one 'good' onion seedling?

How long do you leave them growing in the module before planting out?

Thank you, look forward to your next!

[Johnboy]

Hi Sprout,
Modules were designed for one plant so you should sow one seed what doesnt come up you cant plant.
That sounds that I am being sarcastic but it is not intended to be that way!!
By sowing one seed you then be able to work out your germination rate and to sow more than one is wastful of seed because you only want one plant.
Onions are one of the things I allow the plant to become very slightly module bound and this means that they have a goodly root on them.
I sow in Commercial Trays of 216 which are exceedingly expensive well over £5.00 each but they have been used at least twice a year since about 1990
and they still have many years left in them.
The modules are 35x35x50mm each which gives you a long period before planting out is necessary but I would suggest that Modules of 25x25x30mm would produce easily what you would require.
I also produce Brassicas in the same trays so feel you should think of acquiring module trays thay will be dual purpose.
Remember modules are designed for one plant and anything else is totally wrong where vegetables are concerned. Flowers are a slightly differnt thing but even then you should try for one seed per module only.
HTH

[sprout]

Thank you Johnboy, will use your method with the Giant Zittau which I'll sow in the next ten days or so. I've already sown the overwintering red onions in multiples of five, and between two and four came up per module. I'll plant these out as a cluster (Monika's method) and see what happens, and will be interested to compare.

It may seem obvious to the regulars that modules should be one seed per module, but not to me! I was glad you spelt it out

This year was my first with modules, and unlike a lot of advice I've had in the past, they seemed to do a lot better if allowed to get slightly root bound as you said.

I do sow e.g. lettuce three to a module and thin if more than one comes up. But for the quantities we eat - a couple of lettuce per week - I don't feel I'm wasting too much seed.

Thank you for taking the time to post this, modules could make a big difference and you're all helping me find the best way to get a good result

[Geoff]

I always grow from seed - summer onions only. I sow in 7cm square flimsy pots, the sort you can get 15 of in a seed tray, approx 6 seeds per pot. This year sown in heated greenhouse on 12th February but each tray gets a turn in the propagator 6 at a time. Grown on in cold greenhouse and planted out on 29th April. Each block 1' apart in the row, I plant 3 rows a foot apart then 18" space and three more rows, makes weeding easier. My rows are 10' long, 15 rows so about 700 plants - so far one flower. A mixture of Red Baron, Ailsa Craig and Bedfordshire Champion (soon to be renamed Old Herbaceous). Red Baron always germinate better than the white varieties but they are treated seed. Couldn't buy any seed dressing so used hormone rooting powder including Captan (probably banned now) and that improved the white germination. Here they are today :

[sprout]

Wow geoff they look good! Do your multi-sown onions end up the same shape as single sown onions?

[Geoff]

Yes - they just push each other out of the way.

[Chantal]

I'm very impressed and I'll certainly give that a go next year!

[oldherbaceous]

Good morning Geoff, gosh what an honour to know that your Bedfordshire Champions are going to be renamed (Old Herbaceous).
There quite a good keeper just like me.
This has made a lovely morning even nicer.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Never above you, never below you, but always beside you.

[Wellie]

Geoff they look fantastic !

I did multi-sown this year too, and I'm actually a convert now given that I've ended up with useable onions of every size needed for every conceivable kitchen use, as opposed to last year, when every onion was about the size of my last years' ego.
I think Sue Stickland recommended multi-sown for the above reason, and I read it thinking, no actually cookie, you are SO right - when did any of us need uniform sized onions. Never...
Trousers needs a bit of an onion for that, quarter of one for this, leaves the rest for the cat/mice/compost flies.......or me...!
Congrats on such a good crop.
Wish I had as many as that !!!
Wellie