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  • From: Bobbett <bobbett AT windstream.net>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] growing onion sets
  • Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:39:50 -0500

Road's End Farm wrote:


On Feb 22, 2010, at 2:26 PM, Bobbett wrote:

Normally I grow my own plants, and this year I'm making a diligent
effort to save my own seed (I did it last yr, but the seed was mixed;
this year I aim to keep it separated and not cross pollinated).


How many plants did you save seed from?

8-10; btw, I'm NOT having any problems with the seeds. It's just an experiment w/ some of the onions I found growing in my root cellar that I had stored over winter.

I'm interested in saving my own seeds year after year and not relying on stores.
So, can u or anyone tell me how to grow sets? When the seeds should be planted for sets. When I do I dig up the small onions? How do I store them over winter?, etc.

I use new onion seed every year if possible; but if something arrives late, I've found that very often the previous year's onion seed will give me enough starts if I seed it a little heavily.

Yes, I've done that too, but my aim is to save my own seed and save plenty of it so I have it fresh each year and don't have to rely on store bought or old seeds.



You're further south than I am, but I think with onions the solstice is more crucial, and that's not going to vary: this is the week I usually seed my onions, and I've gotten a nice crop from seed not started till the first couple days of March. So you may not be too late to start them yet.

Well, I normally seed my onions indoors in mid-January (which I've already done). I have about 250 plants that will go outside around the time I direct-seed my peas. I've never had any problems getting good-sized onions in mid-summer from this routine.

What I was interested in knowing is if there is a particularly good method for storing 1yo onion seeds to keep them fresh as possible. And if not, how do I use those seeds to make sets to bare/bear (?) me more seeds next year to use the following year.

Bobbett, KY/zone 6





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