How To Harvest Onion Seeds

Harvesting onion seeds is very easy and rewarding. When the onion heads dry in late summer, I shake the onion bulbs into a tub where the seeds fall and then separate the seeds from the chaffe.

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[PeacefulCountryLife]

My grandmother used to wrap a very thin, almost translucid white cloth over it, tie it and kept it there for a few days. Do this for a couple of these and you'll have plenty of seeds :)

[lakebafondren]

Oh I harvested mine too soon. They weren't black yet. I grew mine from kitchen scraps in a container. I was so proud it produced a flower.

[greenthumbelina]

I harvest and save seeds from my alliums, which are in the same family as onions, in the same way. I have noticed that solitary bees and wasps will overwinter in the hollow stems. Pollinators will overwinter in nearly any hollow flower stock, so I leave those in my gardens until it's time for spring planting.

[KristiContemplates]

I put a reusable mesh vege bag over the flower heads to catch the black seeds as they fall.
When ready to cut the head, I cut the head off - with the bag still on - and hang the bag-covered head upside down

[Daygoth]

I've used wind to sort things too! It's cool the techniques you develop to solve problems in the garden. 😊

[patriciakane]

I am so glad I ran across your video! I am 85, been a gardener a long time, but nobody ever told me to do this or how. (City girl). So thank you so much. Onions! So good and so good for you! Thank you so much!😁

[pn]

Cool. I catch this video right on time. My onion flowered are at this stage.

[chriserony]

This is a great video! Very thorough, I don't think I'm left with any questions. Thanks so much!

[meisnamsomi]

I'll try this, I was searching for onion harvest video. It's very helpful 👍

[DaZebraffe]

Suggestion! Even if you're a home gardener who doesn't need near that many seeds, go ahead and go all out like this guy does, getting every single seed possible...you can always use the excess to make onion sprouts for your salads/sandwiches/whatever. :P

[Azralynn]

This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you!

[Downeastwaves]

Thanks! Tomorrow I will give the two onions I let go to seed a first rub! I was going to wait for them to turn like the one you cut. Thanks so much!

[davelively]

I've started a tray of onion seeds....a mix of plain seed & many covered with the dry outside case they grew in. Good seed will punch its' way out and grow.

[crypticsoul]

Thank you! I decided to try to compost and in the winter and early spring I threw a bunch of old onions in there but instead of composting, they grew! I don't want to eat them because they are growing in yucky compost, but I am going to harvest the seeds and plant them in spring. I am looking forward to watching your onion growing guide!

[clymtc]

in the UK we have just had one of the wettest July months ever. I had a couple of onions I had let "go to seed" and (I presume because it was so wet and warm) the seeds sprouted on the seed head. Hundreds of little onions just growing on the seed head. I picked them off and planted them and they are all thriving. I don't know if this is a common occurrence but it is new to me.

[azza-in_this_day_and_age]

have you ever seen little balls grow within the flower? like a little onion bulb almost, not atop the smaller stems where the 3-lobe seed pods develop, but where the little flower stems begin, sometimes 3 or 4 some the size of a white rice grain, some as big as a thumb

[mj]

Can you leave first-year onions in the ground over winter in order to get seeds the second year? I'm in Nebraska, where we get snow and temperatures as low as 0 and sometimes below 0.

[sartajwali]

My last year onion started flowering now. Hopefully I will get same seeds soon.

[Mrbfgray]

'Harvesting bucket' a great idea.

[jeremyh]

Just curious when you plan to make more videos. Really enjoy your content.