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:

Support our work (👊) at
or

[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 👍

[tonyschmucker]

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

[babsoneverything]

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.

[rockshoal]

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

[trfyeomanfarmer]

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

[davelively]

Teaching this old dog new used soil blocks for years, but not for onions, which will change this time around. Won't clip the tops either. We don't like to be without stored onions, so your video is most appreciated.

[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 ...

[steverobinson]

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.

[AlchemyAles]

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

[GreywoodGardening]

Trimming onion tops is what allowed me to successfully grow onions! My issue is that my tops would bend over in heavy wind or rain and if the neck kinked, the onion was done. I started trimming before planting, and a couple more times during the growing season to keep them shorter and sturdy. This gave me my first successful (home garden) onion crop after a few years of trying and failing, and I've done it ever since.

[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.

[TroyEagan]

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

[halbachfamily]

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

[outbackbreathing]

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.

[doncook]

Watched this many times missed the juggling at the end. One of my frustrations could never juggle. I bet he can yodel too! Another frustration of mine.
Good thing I’m happy gardening

[matthewlivergood]

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.

[aileensmith]

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

[lindalinda-iehw]

love the clowning & it helps the info sink in.

[RobinL]

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!

[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.