Forum home› Fruit & veg
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Growing onions in a pot for seed

EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I’m planning to plant 2 or 3 of our best onions on some soil in a flower pot each. The guidance that I’m following suggests putting them on a windowsill until the danger of frost is past, and then put them in the green house (poly tunnel in our case) to go to seed. We only have west facing windows, and I’m concerned that they won’t be happy without more sun. But it’s a bit of a treck to carry them backwards and forwards to the poly tunnel every day, and experience has shown that I will forget eventually!

Does anyone else use this method, and do you think they must have a south-facing windowsill?
Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Do they grow true to type from 2nd year seeds?,
    I buy these 1250 seeds, last you a couple of years, big flavourful onion with no messing about.  This is a reputable seller.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vegetable-Onion-Ailsa-Craig-Appx-1250-seeds-Competition-onions/231105747349?epid=2146117301&hash=item35cef9d995:g:h3UAAOSwGjZanVKJ
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
    Yes, I think they will, because they’re not F1 and there’s no one else growing onions near us, so no cross pollination. I’m saving seed out of interest more than economy really, but thanks for the suggestion. 
    Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Why do them in pots? I've saved onions for seed and I just wait until April/may and plant them directly outside. If I were going to put them in a polly tunnel I would say they can go out before frost is over, onions are fairly frost hardy and with protection from wind they will manage a few degrees under 0.
    I'm not sure they will be easy in pots, the flowering onions get very tall and mine produced multiple flowers from each bulb, I had to put stakes and string in to keep them upright and to stop them snapping.
  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 599
    That’s interesting, thank you. I might wait a bit then. Except they might not  keep that long.  I might plant them in the poly tunnel now and protect them if we get a really hard frost. 
    Carmarthenshire (mild, wet, windy). Loam over shale, very slightly sloping, so free draining. Mildly acidic or neutral.


  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    @Emerion   Yes, you can.  I start my onion seeds in January in a deepish rectangular polystyrene box in the conservatory (which is cold at night and warm during the day - light is the important bit) - to transplant at 2 (blade) leaf stage around March/April. Usually red or white salad onions.  Ready to eat July/August  I sowed some in the garden from my own seeds in September (to eat in Spring) but had little to no success.  The same applies to leeks.  January sowing etc.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • tui34tui34 Posts: 3,493
    PS.  As you want them for seed - well you just let them flower (in the garden) and reap the seeds - a test of patience! - for the following year.  You only need 2 or 3 onions to flower for their seeds.  Keep the seeds in a dark place for sowing in January.
    A good hoeing is worth two waterings.

  • NewBoy2NewBoy2 Posts: 1,813
    Emerion 

    https://www.realseeds.co.uk/seedsavinginfo.html

    These people are experts on advising on saving seeds for all veg.

     tuikowhai34 knows his onions.

    Good luck 
    Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
Sign In or Register to comment.