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Talkback: Growing onions: seeds versus sets

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  • You also get a variation in size. Who needs there onions all to be the same size?
  • I grow Elsa Craig from seed each year and always get a great crop of large onions, I plant the seeds in an old plastic mushroom container from the supermarket in November, stab the bottom with a pointed knife for drainage
    That's it, in Feb thin to single onion plants and plant out, very hardy and a great tasting onion.
  • Might give that a try, though I won first in class at the village show with onions grown from sets planted last Autumn!

    I've planted my Autumn onion sets already and they are doing well but I may just give the seeds a go too. Thanks.

    http://archers-at-the-larches.blogspot.com/2011/09/village-show-and-prize-twit.html
  • The other thing is of course that you get more varieties from seed.



    I think that generally onions from seed also store better?
  • I find that onions grown from seed store better

  • With Franchi seeds you get well over 1000 seeds so it would cost actually 4 onions for 1p making sets cost 40 times more than the seeds!!!
  • Do you want so many onions as the 250 in a packet? have you counted in the cost of the propagator? What is the failure rate of seeds against sets? The figures may back seeds v sets, but I suspect not by the order of magnitude you suggest.
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    Thank Paolo. Yes, some packets of seed provide even better value, and deliver even greater savings! Certainly worth considering when trying to keep costs down and increase productivity.

    And I think this answers the point raised above questioning returns, as it looks as if returns can be of an even greater magnitude, not lower.

  • I planted sets last spring, and they were very late to harvest, in the end I lifted them toward the end of October as I was afraid they'd get hit with the cold snap that was forcast.  They were a great success.  I planted Elisa Craig seeds in modular trays in the autumn & they're overwintering on my front porch where it's sheltered & I'll plant them on when I've ground ready & I'll also put down some sets in the spring and compare results. 

  • billmbillm Posts: 2
    last year grew sets and onions fom seed.the sets looked good early on ,but the seed overtook them and had best crop ever. this year trying three types marc, globo, and kelsae. im not growing for shows and would like tips concerning the onions ive slected.one tip ive recieved is allways feed kelsae from roots //// [email protected]
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