{"id":1039,"date":"2026-08-27T15:53:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/?p=1039"},"modified":"2026-09-09T20:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T20:59:23","slug":"growing-onions-from-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomat-pomidor.com\/en\/growing-onions-from-seed\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Onions from Seed vs Sets: 1-Season Direct Sow Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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How to Grow Bulb Onions from Seed in One Season (Direct Sowing Method) \ud83e\uddc5<\/h2>\n
\u270d\ufe0f By Sweet<\/strong> | \ud83d\udccd St. Petersburg, Russia (USDA Zone 4 \u2013 Short Cool Summer)<\/strong> | \ud83d\udcc5 Originally published: March 27, 2014<\/div>\n

My experience of growing large bulb onions from seed using the direct sowing method came to me completely by accident. When I first sowed onion seeds, it never even occurred to me to grow them indoors as transplants first. This was a long time ago, when I was just mastering the science of managing my own garden beds. Without reading any smart books, I was gaining precious personal experience\u2014both successful and disastrous. \ud83d\ude02 However, with onions, everything turned out just wonderfully on the very first try!<\/p>\n

My First Experience: Beginner’s Luck \ud83c\udf31<\/h3>\n

Back then, I came across a packet of ‘Stuttgarter Riesen’<\/strong> seeds in a store. I must note an important detail: I lived in a northern region with a short summer, not in the warm south.<\/p>\n

I prepared the bed on virgin soil, meaning no cultivated crops had ever grown there before. I dug it up thoroughly, cleaned it of weeds until it shined, and added some compost. I sowed the seeds thickly in rows. The sprouts came up uniformly, and as the greens grew large enough to eat, I thinned them out for salads. \ud83e\udd57<\/p>\n

The onions developed quite briskly! I carefully tended the bed: loosened the soil, weeded, and watered. In the end, the bulbs grew right out of a magazine picture: large, healthy, and beautiful. There were a few small ones, of course, but overall, the harvest was glorious. It truly is beginner’s luck! \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n

Today, of course, I grow storage onions from seed by all the rules and take a much more responsible approach. I prefer this method over planting commercial onion sets or dealing with transplants. Growing from transplants is just too tedious for me\u2014handling those fragile onion “threads” is exhausting. So, let’s get straight to the rules I try to follow for direct sowing.<\/p>\n

4 Rules for Direct Sowing Onions \ud83d\udcdd<\/h3>\n

1. Choosing the Right Variety \ud83e\uddc5<\/h4>\n

The first thing to pay close attention to is the choice of variety, because not all onions will form a good bulb in a single season, especially in cooler, northern regions. Good choices for direct sowing include Stuttgarter Riesen<\/em>, Odintsovets<\/em>, Halcedon<\/em>, and Early Pink<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/strong> Pay attention to the storage life! Some varieties store very poorly\u2014these are usually the tender, sweet salad onions (like Exhibition<\/em>).<\/p>\n

2. Garden Bed & Soil Prep \ud83d\udecf\ufe0f<\/h4>\n

It is best to prepare the bed in the autumn in a warm, sunny, and well-ventilated spot. The soil must be loose, light, and slightly alkaline. \ud83d\udeab Acidic soil is completely unacceptable!<\/strong> If your soil is acidic, you must neutralize it.<\/p>\n

Crop Rotation:<\/strong> Do not plant onions after other onions or garlic for at least 3 years. However, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage are excellent preceding crops. \ud83c\udf45\ud83e\udd54<\/p>\n

Dig the soil well, remove weeds, and add well-rotted compost and a little wood ash. Do not use fresh manure!<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. When and How to Sow \u23f1\ufe0f<\/h4>\n

Start sowing in early spring while the soil still holds plenty of winter moisture. You can pre-soak the seeds in water for 12\u201324 hours (though I rarely do this).<\/p>\n